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AN AMERICAN REGULAR.— C/im/i/. 



(Blh armp ^kttt\)tB 



BY 



GEINTERAL W. H. CARTER 

Author of " From Yorktown to Santiago ivith the Sixth 
Cavalry," ''Horses, Saddles, and Bridles,'' etc. 




THE LORD BALTIMORE PRESS 

THE FRIEDENWALD COMPANY 

BALTIMORE, MD., U. S. A. 

1906 



C^^'^ 



U8RARY of CONGRFSS 
Two Conies Received 

AUG 9 1906 

Cooyiirhi Entry 
■ASS (JCL XXc. No. 




Copyright, 1906, by 
Briq.-Gen. William H. Carter, U. 



THE ROSTER OF TALES 

PAGE 

Foreword 7 

An Outlaw's Gratitude 15 

Captain" Cecil's Dream 37 

Our Bayard 53 

A Garrison Reform 71 

The Force of Discipline 85 

A Brand from the Burning 101 

An Old Dragoon : 125 

The Recruit^s Revenge 153 

Courage 165 

A Cavalryman's Ride 177 



\i 



FOREWOED 




HOSE who read the de- 
tailed history of the 
Republic will learn 
that after each war 
the progress of 
knowledge in mili- 
tary a:ffairs and the 
active presence of 
new leaders of heroic mold tend alike 
to mark a distinct line between the old 
and new armies. In those troublous 
days of 1798 when Washington, Knox, 
and Hamilton met in Philadelphia to 
canvass the relative merits of the vet- 
erans of the Revolution, for appoint- 
ment in the new army authorized by 



8 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

Congress for the then impending con- 
flict with France — happily averted — 
the difficulty of fusing the old and new 
was made clearly apparent. The War 
of 1812 hewed a sharp line of demarca- 
tion between old Continentals and the 
new levies. Then, with the exception 
of a few officers and men — rare charac- 
ters many of them — the army disap- 
pears for a time from view. A partial 
awakening comes in 1821, followed a 
few years later by the Black Hawk 
and Florida Wars, marking distinct 
changes in the personnel. Next fol- 
lows the Mexican War, with a new 
generation, which, at the close of hostil- 
ities, has an official standing which leads 
to preferment when the dark and soul- 
wrenching days of the Civil War period 
arrive. 

Four years of conflict, the rise of new 



FOEEWOED 9 

leaders and the breaking of old ideals 
mark a new era, and the " Old Army of 
Before the War " passes into history. 
Some of the older generation survive 
and tell in garrison clubs the tales of 
self-sacrifice, courage and character 
which leave an impress on the new gen- 
eration, composed principally of young 
men — some mere boys — who had won 
preferment upon a score of historic 
battlefields of the Civil War. 

Then come many years of supposed 
peace, during which the frontier gar- 
risons go unostentatiously about their 
work of carving the path of an empire 
and making the settlement of half a 
continent possible, without expectation 
of other reward than a consciousness of 
duty right nobly performed. It was 
during this period between the Civil 
War and the war with Spain that most 



10 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

of the characters and incidents briefly 
portrayed in this volume held the stage. 

During a quarter of a century the 
army not only guarded the settlement 
and development of what had been for- 
merly characterized dimly as ** The 
Great American Desert " and '' The 
Rocky Mountain Eegion," but kept 
alive that knowledge of modern war 
which meant so much for success when 
the country was again called to arms in 
Cuba, the Philippines and China. With 
these campaigns came another reorgani- 
zation and with the doffing of the his- 
toric blue and donning of the khaki 
there passed again into history another 
" Old Army.'' 

There is no other life in which may 
be encountered greater extremes of 
comedy and tragedy than in that of the 
old frontier garrisons. The incident of 



rOEEWORD 11 

the ball on the eve of the battle of 
Waterloo has been sung in song and 
story for near a hundred years, yet there 
is scarce one of the old posts from Fort 
Duquesne to the Dalles of Oregon, and 
from Michilimackinac to the Rio 
Grande, that has not witnessed similar 
scenes, when refined gentlewomen have 
nerved themselves for the farewell re- 
ception and dance usually given in 
honor of gallant men departing on dis- 
tant and dangerous enterprise. 

The author was long engaged in col- 
lecting material for a history of the 
cavalry regiment with which he rode on 
the frontier for more than twenty years. 
The volume, when published, contained 
these remarks: 

'' It has been the constant endeavor, 
in the preparation of the story, to pre- 
sent an honest and unpretentious repre- 



1^ OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

sentation of service as substantiated by 
the records, avoiding alike the tempting 
reahns of speculation and tradition. 
The search for facts has developed a 
mine of interesting incidents and regi- 
mental tales, but the author has felt 
constrained not to enter that field." 

The author had the misfortune to lose 
the greater part of the edition of the his- 
tory, by fire, in Baltimore. The plates 
of the illustrations, which had been gen- 
erously contributed by Remington, de 
Thulstrup, Christy, Zogbaum, Gaul, 
Klepper, Larned and others, who took 
a kindly interest in the volume, escaped 
the general destruction. In order that 
such artistic work should not be wholly 
lost, some of the illustrations have been 
reproduced with the sketches relating to 
the same periods and incidents as those 
of the more pretentious history. 



EOEEWOED 



13 



The stories are presented without pre- 
tence of literary merit, but with the 
hope that having much foundation in 
fact they may serve to illustrate some 
unique types of character and services 
encountered in The Old Armv. 



i^tl 










AN OUTLAW'S GRATITUDE 




N a fringe of niesquite 
underbrush, bordering the 
San Simon Flat where the 
old overland stage road of 
Arizona begins to rise to 
Apache Pass, two cowboys 
— one desperately wound- 
ed — were engaged in ser- 
ious argument. ** Now, 
Sandy, you must stick on till we git to 
the fort where the Doc is and we'll have 
you fixed up.'' ^' No, Curly, I'm that 
petered out that I can't ride back to the 
boys, and I'd rather die right here than 
be turned over to a Tombstone sheriff." 
The sine^vy, bronzed-faced Curly held 
his younger companion in the saddle 



16 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

with a vise-like grip but continued to 
argue with him as to the urgency of 
medical aid, while the younger, with 
that reckless disregard of life which was 
the pride of the outlaw cowboy, refused 
to make any further effort to save him- 
self. 

The sound of hoof-beats qoming in 
from the Flat caused Curly to move the 
horses quickly behind a tall mesquite. 
He had hardly got to cover when a jack- 
rabbit sprang into the road from the 
other side, followed closely by half a 
dozen greyhounds running mute. The 
rabbit realized the hopelessness of a race 
in the open road and after a few strides 
turned into the cover behind which the 
cowboys were hiding, the hounds close 
at his heels. The horses shied apart and 
the wounded man, weak from loss of 



AN OUTLAW'S GEATITUDE 17 

blood, slowly relaxed his leg grip and 
slid to the ground just as a horseman 
crashed through the fringe of brush on 
the opposite side of the road. The 
huntsman pulled up short in front of 
the cowboys who, true to frontier na- 
ture, were on guard; Curly with his 
Winchester ready for action, and 
Sandy, lying with his head raised 
against a bit of sage brush, with a 
cocked six-shooter in his hand. 

Sandy, though sorely wounded, was 
the first to find speech and his remark 
was, '^ God, Curly, what a cracker- jack 
horse that fellar's got! " 

Curly recognized the trim, blonde 
mustached young lieutenant as one of 
the officers of the cavalry squadron up 
in the mountain pass, at the little adobe 
post known as Fort Bowie, and whose 



18 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

cemetery head-boards contained fully 
as many names as the rolls of the gar- 
rison and nearly all of them bore the 
legend '' Killed by Apaches. '^ 

The officer was mounted upon a beau- 
tiful race mare which had been given 
to him by his doting Missouri father, 
who was imbued with the creed of the 
state, that '' when a gentleman rides he 
should be able to keep up with his com- 
pany." It was no wonder that the 
wounded horse-thief's eyes fell admir- 
ingly upon the young officer's mount, 
for her like had not been seen before in 
that part of the frontier. Now as she 
stood breathing strongly but smoothly 
as a w^ell-oiled machine, her nostrils dis- 
tended, ears forward and eyes glued in- 
quiringly upon the little cow ponies she 
made a rare picture. 



AN OUTLAW'S GRATITUDE 19 

The handsome face and frank blue 
eyes of the young cavalr^niian were 
alone enough to remove suspicion, but 
the cowboys were particular to note that 
he was unarmed. Curly took the pre- 
caution to ask if he was alone and 
learned he was out for a gallop with the 
hounds just to keep himself fit. As 
Curly returned his Winchester to his 
gunboot the huntsman blew his whistle 
and called off the hounds, which had 
lost sight of the rabbit in the unusual 
mix-up. 

Realizing that he was face to face with 
the aftermath of one of those frontier 
tragedies to which, although not long 
out of West Point, he had already 
grown accustomed, he looked at the 
wounded man, who had swooned after 
his admiring remark about the horse. 



20 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

and simply asked, '' What's the mat- 
ter? " 

'^ Well, the fact is, lieutenant, we had 
some trouble with a party of Mexicans 
down near the line, this side of Fron- 
teros, and Sandy got hurt. I left the 
other boys to fix the Mexicans and I was 
taking Sandy up to the little spring in 
the canon and was calculatin' to git the 
Doc from the Fort to do something for 
him." 

Louis St. Joe dismounted and taking 
from his saddle the canteen of fresh 
spring water which he carried for the 
hounds, he poured some down the 
wounded man's parched throat and 
sprinkled his face. The unusual at- 
tention served to arouse Sandy some- 
what and as he came to a realization of 
things he reached for the canteen, 



AN OUTLAW'S GRATITUDE 21 

closed his eyes and let the water gurgle 
down his throat. When he handed the 
canteen back, St. Joe made a basin of 
the top of his hat and calling the panting 
hounds he slowly emptied the water into 
the improvised vessel while the long 
tongues lapped it greedily. 

Turning to Curly young St. Joe said, 
*' He needs help ; keep him in the shade 
until I come back with the ambulance," 
and springing lightly to his saddle, 
without use of the stirrup, he called the 
hounds to heel and started rapidly up 
the grade to the pass. It seemed not 
long to Curly before he saw the dust and 
heard the screeching noise of the brake- 
blocks scraping the wheels of the ambu- 
lance, yet distant, but coming rapidly 
down the grade. The time had passed 
quickly while the devil-may-care fron- 



23 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

tier outlaw gave himself to pondering 
how such a decent young fellow should, 
of his own volition, hurry assistance to 
a youthful but notorious cowboy who 
had come to grief in a horse-stealing 
raid across the border. Curly had done 
many chivalrous things during his mad 
career and feared neither man nor devil, 
but the simple act of humanity on the 
part of the young cavalryman had 
touched his rough, outlaw nature in an 
unaccustomed way. 

Arrived at the mesquite bosque the 
doctor examined the wounded man and 
decided not to disturb the rude bandages 
which had been applied by Curly. 
Sandy was lifted gently into the ambu- 
lance and the trip to the post hospital 
was made as rapidly as the fine four-in- 
hand team of mules could cover the 
distance up the steep grade. 



AN OUTLAW'S GRATITUDE 23 

Arrived at the post Curly, who ap- 
peared uneasy and suspicious, asked St. 
Joe in a low voice what he was going to 
do and the young officer, with a look of 
surprise, said, '' Why, put him in the 
hospital and fix him up, of course. 
What did you expect '? " 

When Sandy was put to bed Curly 
had a brief whispered conversation with 
him, the gist of which was, not to talk 
much but lay low and when well enough 
to be about, to go around on the San 
Simon side of the peak and send up 
the smoke signal and one of the gang 
would come for him with a horse and 
bring money for the doctor. In the 
meantime, for fear the former owner 
of Sandy's pony might happen along, 
Curly would take him back to the out- 
law rendezvous. 



24 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

There was usually not much to oc- 
cupy St. Joe when in the post and he 
called at the hospital several times 
to see how Sandy was getting along. 
With proper attention and good 
food nature rapidly reasserted it- 
self, and later, when St. Joe re- 
turned one evening from a short 
scout he learned that a strange cowboy 
had come to the hospital about dusk and 
that Sandy took a walk with him and 
had not been seen since, although the 
doctor had subsequently received an 
envelope with a roll of new treasury 
bills, with numbers corresponding to 
those lost by the paymaster when he 
was held up and his escort shot to 
pieces by a gang of outlaws up near the 
Gila River. 

As time passed the depredations of 



AN OUTLAW^S GRATITUDE 25 

Indians continued, often with ac- 
companiments of fiendish barbarity, 
but it gradually dawned upon those 
whose duty it w^as to pursue and 
punish marauding bands, that In- 
dians were being accused of many 
crimes committed by men who did 
not wear moccasins and who rode 
shod horses. Once when this very sub- 
ject was under discussion at the adju- 
tant's ofiice, one of the herders dashed 
into the post leading a badly scattered 
herd. After the stock was corralled it 
developed that while part of the guard 
had come in for dinner, several cowboys 
began firing off their pistols and 
charged through the herd and cut out 
some horses and the fine team of six 
grey mules habitually used on the water 
wagon; they had gone south and the 



26 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

corporal was following the stock and 
would send up a smoke from whichever 
pass they used to get out of the valley. 

St. Joe was dressed for a morning's 
ride and his striker was standing at the 
door of his quarters with his race mare 
" Lady." Accustomed to being sud- 
denly summoned to rescue a mail coach, 
to raise the siege of a ranch or to pur- 
sue renegades escaping from the Indian 
reservation, it required but a few min- 
utes for a detachment of cavalry and 
Indian scouts to move out on the trail 
leaving a guard to follow with the 
pack mules. The Indians circled 
the herd grounds and soon cut the 
outgoing trail which led straight 
towards the Mexican border, al- 
though Jack Dunn, the guide, said it 
would turn long before it got to the line. 



AlSr OUTLAW^S GKATITUDE 27 

St. Joe kept the animals at a sharp trot 
until late in the afternoon, when one of 
the scouts in advance raised his hand 
and pointed to a fresh smoke away to 
the left front in the Steins Peak range. 
The party was divided and St. Joe, with 
the guide, and a few well mounted men, 
cut across the country straight for the 
smoke in the pass, the others following 
the trail to see if any of the stolen 
stock had dropped out. 

As the sun was setting behind the 
Chiricahua range, on the opposite side 
of the valley, St. Joe came upon the 
plucky corporal standing guard over 
the water wagon team of greys. The fat 
mules, accustomed to parade about the 
garrison at a slow gait in highly decor- 
ated harness, were not equal to the pace 
at which they had been put through 



28 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

and when they struck the mountain trail 
they could go no further. The keen 
eyes of the horse thieves had caught an 
occasional glimpse of dust in the bosque 
far back down the valley, and as they 
did not wish to enrage their pursuers 
by the Indian trick of killing played- 
out stock, the overfed greys were aban- 
doned and later gathered together by 
the corporal. 

Halting to let his detachment get to- 
gether again, St. Joe carefully in- 
spected the animals and after tighten- 
ing cinchas, he led the way up the 
mountain trail and on far into the 
night. The horse thieves well knew 
their pursuers would not halt until 
they struck water. After they had 
w^atered their own stock and filled 
their canteens at the only tanks 



AN OUTLAW'S GRATITUDE 29 

in that part of the range, they moved 
on and sought shelter some miles beyond 
in a glade where the animals could 
graze, surmising correctly that the de- 
tachment would stop to rest until the 
moon should rise. 

As soon as the trail could be followed 
the Indian scouts led off with the de- 
tachment close behind. It was not yet 
dawn w^hen the Indians stopped and be- 
gan searching for the direction taken 
by the horse thieves, who had scattered 
before entering the gulch leading to 
their resting place. They had calculated 
that the detachment w^ould lose some 
time in finding and closing in on their 
hiding place and in leaving it they had 
made a wide detour to regain the trail. 

The sun was well up w^hen the trail, 
which the unerring Apache scouts had 



30 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

located, began to descend to a wide 
stretch of plain with a clump of cotton- 
woods just visible, far across, on the 
other side. Fresh signs were encount- 
ered along the trail but not a glimpse 
of man or horse had been obtained. 
Descending to the almost level plain, 
covered with short sage brush and with 
not a living thing in sight, St. Joe was 
puzzled, but he followed closely the 
movements of the scouts. The trick 
of the fleeing outlaws was soon dis- 
closed through the discovery of a long 
gulch, seamed out of the level plain, 
which had enabled the horse thieves to 
keep out of sight and save their animals 
for the final run in to their goal which 
was evidently the cottonwood grove. 

Dropping the trail and moving 
straight for the head of the gulch the 



AN OUTLAW'S GEATITUDE 31 

detachment gained rapidly and it was 
not long before a cowboy was seen peer- 
ing over tlie bank to observe the pursuit. 
Seeing that their trick had been dis- 
covered, the horse thieves dashed out on 
the opposite side of the gulch and made 
straight for the cottonwood grove. St. 
Joe had already reached the conclusion 
that his cavalry horses, hardened by 
much scouting, could overhaul the horse 
thieves in a fair race, and he had been 
careful to conduct the pursuit so as to 
have something left in the animals for 
a spurt. Cautioning his men to take 
plenty of room he swung his mare into 
a free gallop, steadying her just a bit. 
The pace soon began to tell and when 
they came into the glade near the cotton- 
woods the pursuers were rapidly closing 
the gap. 



32 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

Suddenly two of the horse thieves 
turned the loose stock they were driving 
towards the foot-hills and the other men 
rode straight for a group of low adobe 
buildings, surrounded by a high wall of 
the same material, at the edge of the 
cottonwoods. 

Drawing rein but slightly, St. Joe de- 
tached a party of troopers and Indian 
scouts to follow the loose stock and with 
the others pursued the horse thieves 
toward the buildings. 

There was a commotion at the corral 
and a line of cowboy hats appeared 
above the wall as the big gates swung 
wide open for the fleeing outlaws to 
enter. As the horse thieves dashed in 
the gates closed, and as rare a group of 
dare-devils as ever got together manned 
the loopholes and walls to defend the 



AN" OUTLAW'S GRATITUDE 33 

most notorious outlaw nest on the Mexi- 
can border. 

St. Joe pulled up his horse and as- 
sembled his party. He could hear the 
outlaws knocking off the lids of ammu- 
nition boxes and see them taking posi- 
tion to fire. He directed his men to 
stand fast and advanced within hailing 
distance. A tall, athletic looking fellow 
who appeared to be the leader mounted 
the wall and demanded his business. St. 
Joe replied that he had trailed stolen 
government stock direct to the ranch 
and pursued some of the men within 
the gates; that other animals had been 
stolen prior to this and were believed 
to be here, and he, St. Joe, had come to 
recover them and was going to search 
the place. 

The outlaw leader laughed scornfully 



34 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

and there were loud guffaws and cries of 
'^ Come and take your horses." The 
leader raised his hand for silence and 
said, " We don't want to hurt you, lieu- 
tenant, unless you are spoiling for a 
fight; if you bring your soldiers and 
Indians any closer we'll open on you 
and keep it up as long as a man is left 
standing in sight. I'll give you five 
minutes to get out of range, for some 
of the boys are already quarreling as 
to who is to have that fine mare of 
yours. ' ' 

'' Fine mare, did you say? Hold on 
there and let me take a look! " When 
Curly had shaded his eyes and taken a 
squint at St. Joe he turned around and 
shouted, '' Put down your guns, boys, 
and open them gates — that's the lieu- 
tenant that saved Sandy! " 



AN OUTLAW'S GRATITUDE 35 

Never was there so sudden a change 
from a condition of war to the knife to 
one of benign peace. The gates were 
thrown open and the hardened outlaws, 
all of whom were below middle age, 
crowded around to get a view of the 
young officer who had been good Sa- 
maritan enough to take in a wounded 
horse thief. 

It seems hardly necessary to say that 
not only did St. Joe recover the animals 
he had been following, but also all those 
in the outlaw herd branded IT. S. and 
stolen on former raids from his own 
and other stations. 




CAPTAIN CECIL'S DREAM 




AR had come once 
more to the fair 
colony of Vir- 
ginia and our 
troop of horse 
had been associ- 
ated with the 
Duke de Lau- 
zun's French legion. During the concen- 
tration of Washington's army we had 
been in bivouac on '' The Neck " below 
Williamsburg, observing Tarleton's out- 
post at ^' The Grove " on the James, and 
were kept constantly on the alert to pre- 
vent that enterprising leader from 
escaping with his troopers to the south. 



38 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

The British detachment in our front 
comprised a histy lot of dragoons who 
had become provoked with Cornwallis 
when he allowed his army to be cooped 
up about Yorktown and Gloucester, and 
while in this state of ill-temper they had 
despoiled the historic mansion where 
they were quartered and devastated the 
neighboring estates. 

Our bivouac in an old field pine for- 
est was not very cheerful, but the officers 
of the Light Horse occupied it in pref- 
erence to the only building within sev- 
eral miles, an ancient brick church with 
a local reputation for bats and uncanny 
noises. The troopers generally avoided 
the place even by day for the slaves all 
pronounced it to be ^^ shoreh^ hanted." 

Philip Cooke and I, Hugh Cecil, were 
the youngest cornets in the Light Horse. 



CAPTAIN CECIL'S DREAM 39 

We had grown up on adjoining planta- 
tions and liad but little respect for the 
many superstitions of the slaves. I will 
not say we were entirely free from fear 
as to the future, for I noticed Philip al- 
ways carried a horse chestnut in his 
pocket, and as for myself, if any one 
happened to step over my feet when we 
were lying about the camp fire I was 
sure something would happen to my 
disadvantage unless the steps were im- 
mediately retraced. I presume it was 
a knowledge of these little peculiarities 
which caused our seniors to become very 
jocose when Philip and I announced 
our intention to sleep in the old church 
on the next rainy night rather than 
trust to the " lean to '' of pine boughs 
to keep us dry. 

I am not quite sure that I really in- 



40 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

tended to carry out the plan, but when 
we were subjected to so much chaffing 
at the hands of our older companions 
in arms I determined to sleep in the 
church at all hazards. It was a dreary 
ruin which had been abandoned as a 
place of worship when the tobacco fields 
had become so worn out as to be no 
longer profitable, and the planters had 
moved on to more distant but richer 
lands. Philip and I took our body ser- 
vants and examined the old rookery by 
daylight and decided to make our prepa- 
rations for at least one night's stay to 
save our reputations. 

The ruin consisted of a main church 
building with two small exterior rooms 
at the altar end. One of these was evi- 
dently constructed for a robing room 
and was in better condition than the 



CAPTAm CECIL'S DEEAM 41 

other parts of the building for it still 
possessed a roof, heavy wooden shutters 
for the window openings and a rough 
board floor. The upper part of the main 
church was in a bad state of decay and 
clouds of bats flew in and out of the 
holes in the roof and through the shut- 
terless windows. 

The building was flanked upon either 
side by numerous old graves, long neg- 
lected. The whole place presented an 
air of utter abandonment as if the origi- 
nal settlers had flown from a plague. 
Xo tender hands had ever reset the 
fallen stones, many of which recited 
nimiberless virtues in the lives of those 
laid to rest in the prosperous days of 
the early colonists. 

Philip and I decided to prepare the 
small robing room for our use. There 



42 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

was a huge fireplace and we had our 
boys bring in wood and start a rousing 
fire to dry out the damp and musty walls 
and to smoke out the colony of bats in 
the chimney. We had more wood 
brought and piled beside the hearth, to 
be in readiness when we should come to 
remain all night. 

It was evidently not intended that we 
should abandon our threatened occu- 
pancy of the old ruin, if through ridi- 
cule we might be held to it. This we 
plainly saw upon our return to camp, as 
we had begun to call our bivouac, which 
did not contain a marquee or any shel- 
ter except that afforded by the pine 
boughs. 

We did not have long to wait to put 
our courage to the test, for the very 
next morning the sky was deeply over- 



CAPTAIN CECIL'S DKEAM 43 

cast and the vivid flashes of lightning 
and riotous thunder grew in intensity 
as night came on. 

Providing ourselves with candles and 
a cold repast in case we should not be 
able to sleep we mounted and rode 
away. Upon reaching the old stone 
horse block, we dismounted and re- 
moved our holster pistols from the sad- 
dles, for we did not intend retaining our 
horses for fear we should be tempted 
to flee from the dreary and lonesome 
place. Our negro boys were in no mood 
to tarry with us and when they learned 
that we were '^ shorely gwine to stay '' 
they hurried off to camp with the horses. 

Philip and I groped our way through 
the main building by the aid of the 
lightning's flashes. We pushed open 
the heavy oaken door, the creaking of 



44 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

the hinges being heard above the storm, 
and entered the dark and gloomy room. 
We had much difficulty in making a 
light because of the fitful gusts of wind. 
There were still some live coals in the 
ashes from our fire of the day before 
and we were not long in getting a big 
blaze which went roaring up the huge 
chimney. 

As long as we were bustling about the 
fire we gave no heed to the storm, which 
had increased in intensity, for we could 
hear the wind howling and the trees 
straining and the limbs breaking. 
When we had dried our riding cloaks 
we put a big back log in the large fire- 
place and felt secure for the night so 
far as light and warmth were concerned. 

We had been told many times that 
there was nothing to fear until about 



CAPTAi:^r CECIL'S DEEAM 45 

midnight, so we decided to remain on 
guard together until after that time and 
then to take turns at watching. We 
seated ourselves with our backs to the 
wall, one on each side of the big fire- 
place, so that we should have the light 
behind us and could watch the door, 
against which we had placed a log. We 
examined the priming of our heavy 
dragoon pistols and drew our swords 
from their scabbards. We laid the 
weapons upon the floor within easy 
reach and, as our eyes were shielded 
from the light, we soon grew accustomed 
to the surroundings and would be able 
to detect the slightest movement which 
might take place. 

Our conversation gradually died 
away but the dreary monotony of 
watching within and the vivid lightning 



46 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

and pealing thunder without, played 
the one against the other in holding our 
attention upon the object of our vigil. 

The lightning gradually ceased and 
the thunder which now came at inter- 
vals, with a booming resembling a dis- 
tant salvo of artillery, rolled and echoed 
far away down the valley. 

I heard a slight noise and leaned over 
to speak to Philip and learn whether he 
had observed it. I was surprised to find 
that Philip's head had settled calmly in 
the chimney corner and that he was 
sleeping heavily. The noise continued 
and now it appeared to be light foot- 
falls directly under the room where we 
were stationed. I was ashamed to 
awaken Philip yet felt that it was unfair 
to have all the burden upon my own 
shoulders. 



CAPTAIX CECIL'S DKEAM 47 

While I was endeavoring to decide 
what to do a trap door in the floor was 
slowly raised. I seized my sword and 
rose quietly to my feet. I was confused 
by my attitude of defense when I beheld 
a beautiful but most pathetic face 
emerge from below. With slow and 
measured steps a young woman, dressed 
in flowing black robes and with her fair 
hair hanging down and partially shad- 
ing her face, came up a secret stairway. 

Reaching the level of the floor she 
glanced toward Philip and placed her 
finger upon her lips as if to indicate 
that he should not be disturbed. Seeing 
that I comprehended her meaning, she 
placed her hands together as if for 
prayer and then slowly turned and 
moved down the stairs beckoning me in 
a most appealing manner to follow her. 

Once I endeavored to speak to Philip 



48 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

but my lips refused to utter a sound. 
The fear of ridicule rather than genuine 
courage urged me to follow the myster- 
ious creature. As I passed down, the 
trap door closed with a muffled snap and 
gave me the same sensation I exper- 
ienced whenever a comrade stepped over 
my feet at the camp fire. 

There was that tearful dignity about 
my guide which made me follow at a 
respectful distance, although, I was 
overcome with curiosity to know of what 
manner of flesh and blood was this 
strange beauty who inhabited a ruin so 
wretched as that which we had just left. 

My guide led me along a winding gal- 
lery of such length that I soon realized 
that we must have passed beyond the im- 
mediate vicinity of the old church. I 
noted a gradual change from the musty 
air of the underground passage and con- 



CAPTAIN CECILYS DEEAM 49 

eluded that we were nearing the end of 
the gallery. My guide now stooped low 
and folding back the ferns which con- 
cealed the entrance we emerged into a 
beautiful glade where the storm had 
entirely died away. 

Again the woman in black beckoned 
for me to follow her as she walked 
slowly toward the end of the glade. She 
seemed to be deeply affected and fre- 
quently gazed up at the starlit sky, now 
beginning to pale, denoting the ap- 
proach of dawn. Reaching the end of 
the glade she stopped and raised her 
beautiful arm over a mound of earth 
resembling a long-neglected grave. 
Motioning to me to stand at the opposite 
end she pointed with trembling hand 
to the mound and there came over her 
face a pained expression indicative of 
loss of hope and faith such as I pray 



50 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

it may never be my fortune to witness 
again. 

I knew not what to do, yet realized 
that moments were precious to this 
strange, weird creature who but waited 
and prayed that I might comprehend 
and aid her. I could only conceive that 
there was need of opening the mound, 
or at least determining what it con- 
tained in order that this enchanted soul 
should no longer be enthralled. 

With no definite idea as to its effect, 
I stepped quickly to a position opposite 
the center of the mound and inserted 
the point of my dragoon sword. My 
lady of the black robes covered her face 
with her hands and as I drove the blade 
home to the hilt, the earth trembled, I 
fell violently on the green sward and 
my guide faded away as a loud blare of 
trumpets rang out in the glade. 



CAPTAIN CECIL'S DREAM 



51 



I awakened and sprang to my feet 
just as the Indian scouts were moving 
out of camp, with cat-like tread, for an 
early start on the renegade Apache trail 
we had been following in the Mexican 
Rockies and heard the voice of my sub- 
altern asking from beneath a nearby 
blanket, ^^ Captain Cecil, are you often 
afflicted with intermittent nightmare? " 





^^ 



JUST FROM THE FRONT.— </c Thulstnip. 



OUR BAYARD 




HE tortuous trail had 
led us across the bor- 
der and far down 
into Sonora, where 
after indescribable 
efforts " Our Bay- 
ard " had brought 
the renegade 
Apaches to bay. He had boldly as- 
saulted them in a position of their own 
choosing and with the aid of our nimble- 
footed scouts had corralled the band 
which counted in its numbers some of 
the master minds known to the annals 
of border Indian warfare, and which 
for tw^o years had foiled the army at 
every turn. 



54 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

During a lull in the fight the rene- 
gades had called for a parley and had 
practically agreed to surrender and 
await in their position the arrival of 
that gallant veteran and distinguished 
Indian fighter known in all the Indian 
country as " The Grey Pox," and who 
was toiling forward over the rough 
mountain trail w^ith the rest of the regi- 
ment. It was an armed truce in every 
sense of the word, for while there was a 
grim satisfaction at having Mangus 
Colorado cry out for peace " Our 
Bayard '' was too old at the game of 
Apache warfare to relax his vigilance 
for a moment. 

Of all the strange incidents that have 
happened to turn the tide of battle the 
most surprising now occurred. A Mex- 
ican battalion, composed principally of 



OUR BAYAED 55 

convicts and commanded by officers un- 
dergoing a species of frontier banish- 
ment, bad happened to cut the Indian 
trail and had boldly followed it. Coming 
up just as the parley had been concluded 
and the Indians had agreed to sur- 
render, and in ignorance of what was 
taking place, they began creeping for- 
ward and were discovered just as they 
had secured positions in rear of the 
Indian scouts encircling the renegades. 
They opened fire and the scouts quickly 
changing position let the surrendered 
renegades go and turned their attention 
to the Mexicans. ' ' Our Bayard ' ' real- 
ized instantly what was happening and 
directing the interpreters to call off the 
scouts he climbed to the top of a large 
boulder and as his tall figure stood out 
prominently against the sky line he 
raised his hand in token of peace. 



56 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

The firing had ceased and the Spanish 
interpreters had explained in loud tones 
the dreadful mistake being made when 
a miserable wretch who had crept close 
to our lines took deliberate aim and as 
the solitary shot rang out on the moun- 
tain side '' Our Bayard," beloved of all 
men, slowly and tremblingly sunk to 
rest upon the sloping face of the 
boulder, with a ghastly bullet hole in 
the very center of his forehead. 

There was grave danger for the mo- 
ment that Americans, scouts and rene- 
gades would turn upon the Mexicans, 
but discipline asserted itself. Tenderly 
'' Our Bayard " was lifted from the 
boulder where he had fallen and carried 
to a mossy bank in the shade of the 
canon wall. In the eyes of the little 
group gathered about the unconscious 



OUR BAYAED 57 

leader there was a changing light of sad- 
ness, of horror and of fierce desire for 
revenge. They recognized that in this 
mountain fastness they stood in the 
presence of the most atrocious crime 
which had ever occurred in a country 
notorious for its lawlessness. 

The surgeons gave no sign of hope, 
but a litter was quickly constructed, and 
during the evening hours, when the 
fevered body of the wounded soldier 
could be shielded from the fierce glare 
and heat of the borderland sun, the slow 
and toilsome journey back to the main 
column began. Far into the night the 
sure-footed scouts reverently bore the 
white chief to whom they had given 
their unreserved faith from the first day 
when he had appeared among them as 
their agent. Lying by during the heat 



58 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

of the day the journey was repeated the 
following evening and the main column 
was rejoined in a mountain glade to 
which " The Grey Fox " had hurried 
forward when informed of the sad 
tidings borne by the Indian runners sent 
back on the trail to meet him. 

Under the heavy foliage of a juniper 
tree " Our Bayard " was gently laid. 
His mortal hurt was beyond the power 
of the human healer and the surgeons 
but watched and waited with the silent 
and pain stricken group gathered about 
their fallen comrade, whose career had 
always been a model for and source of 
pride to the officers and men of the regi- 
ment he loved so well. 

" Our Bayard " had come out from 
West Point with the nickname of 
^' Chevalier " during the last year of 



OUR BAYARD 59 

the great Civil AA^.ar, and without 
thought of leave or recreation from his 
long continued academic work, he had 
hurried to join his regiment in the field 
and followed Sheridan through the 
closing months of the greatest military 
drama of the century. 

During the four years of cadet life he 
had strained at the leash for there was 
a constant succession of maimed young 
fellows coming back to relieve those in- 
structors who had recovered sufficiently 
to rejoin the armies in the field. The 
fame of Wilson, Merritt, Custer, Upton 
and others, young in years but ripe in 
war experience, came floating back to 
stir ambition under the grey coats that 
waited all impatiently to exchange for 
the blue. The fickle goddess never 
found lodgment in '' Our Bayard's '' 



60 OLD AKMY SKETCHES 

breast, for his great soul was cast in a 
simple mold and longed only to serve 
where his country's need was greatest. 

He joined his troop when it was so 
depleted by losses that it was consoli- 
dated with another, and so scarce were 
regimental officers that he found himself 
in command of the combined organiza- 
tions whose ranks were filled with 
bronzed campaigners, boys in years and 
demeanor but veterans in war experi- 
ence. 

Zealously and devoutly '' Our Bay- 
ard " took up his life's work and was 
but a brief time in winning his spurs 
and generous recognition from the hard 
riding regiment with which his fortune 
had been linked. Like thousands of 
other cavalrymen he became accustomed 
to the scenes which prevail around the 



OUR BAYARD 61 

ragged edges of great battle-fields where 
flanking columns reach out and strive 
to strike mortal blows, and to those of 
the advance and rear guards, where 
straggling pillagers betray all the scale 
of degradation to which civilized man 
can descend w^hen he ceases to be the 
hero of a principle. 

Through it all '' Our Bayard '' passed 
without a sign of weakness in his own 
life, and while wreaking the full 
vengeance which the law commanded 
upon the despoilers of the helpless non- 
combatants, he yet felt for them a char- 
itable regret that their upbringing had 
not been based on a more righteous 
foundation. 

He was not much inclined to linger 
over memories of the past, and only 
once in after years he described his first 



62 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

battle. In simplest language, he told of 
being in command of the extreme ad- 
vance guard and of his nervous anxiety 
lest the enemy should run away and de- 
prive him of the chance to try conclu- 
sions with them; of the attack of out- 
posts — the coming up of supports — the 
advance of the line of battle — the cav- 
alry charge — the defeat — the retreat — 
the rear guard action — the fruitless 
effort to save a wounded comrade — con- 
cealing nothing of the sadness and des- 
peration of it all. 

With utmost pathos he related how he 
was holding a desperately wounded 
brother officer in the saddle, hurrying 
to the rear, when he and his party were 
surrounded and a young boy clad in 
grey fired a revolver in his face, fright- 
ening the wounded man's horse and 



OUE BAYARD 63 

causing him to wheel and dash his help- 
less rider to the ground. Without 
thought of revenge or unkindness he 
had knocked the young lad from his 
saddle and, with his few remaining 
troopers, cut his way out and rejoined 
the regiment, leaving his wounded com- 
rade to the tender mercy of a brave foe. 
Some months had passed when the 
regiment again found itself at the scene 
of its bitter defeat. The officers had 
just dismounted when a farmer, observ- 
ing their insignia, remarked that he had 
buried an officer of that command after 
the last battle. The story was discred- 
ited, for the regiment had accounted for 
its losses including three officers cap- 
tured. The man adhered to his story 
and described the scene of the hand-to- 
hand rear guard fight with such accu- 



64 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

racy that '' Our Bayard " called for a 
detail and accompanied him to the spot. 
There at the foot of a large oak, was a 
grave in which were found the remains 
of the wounded comrade who instead of 
being captured had passed away while 
the conflict raged about him and had 
been left dead upon the field of battle. 
The horror of it all struck home even to 
the group of war-hardened troopers who 
had long since grown familiar with the 
gruesome sights of battle-fields. 

The records were changed to read 
'' killed in action " instead of " cap- 
tured and confined in Libby Prison " — 
that was all the official action, but in the 
manly soul of ^^ Our Bayard " there was 
implanted a lifelong grief. He well 
knew it was his duty to cut his way out 
and rejoin his regiment with his able- 



OUR BAYARD 65 

bodied troopers, but the thought of his 
comrade's life ebbing away while men 
shot and cut each other over and about 
him in the madness of battle, rended a 
heart-string in '' Our Bayard's " breast, 
which in after life gave a tinge of sad- 
ness to a naturally quiet and reticent 
character. 

With his regiment always, he had 
marched in the Grand Review at the 
close of the great Civil War and then 
passed on to other scenes of activity on 
the far away borders of Texas. From 
the lower Rio Grande to the Staked 
Plains he had trailed and fought the 
roving bands of Comanches and Kiowas. 
More than once he had saved exposed 
settlements through his quick and fault- 
less judgment. The Indians had 
learned to respect him for his persever- 



66 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

ing courage and his ability to outwit 
them, and, when he was illy rewarded 
for his splendid services by being de- 
tached with his troop to an isolated 
Indian Agency, the real warriors were 
the most outspoken in their gratitude at 
having one in control upon whom they 
could rely. 

As years passed on he continually 
added to his great score of knightly 
deeds performed far from the haunts of 
civilization, unapplauded and unrecog- 
nized save by the manly men and cour- 
ageous women who followed the guidons 
to the sparsely settled frontiers in the 
days of our fiercest Indian wars. His 
regiment had long been on the northern 
border of Mexico and there was no 
water hole or trail in all the Southwest 
land that was not familiar to him. He 



OUR BAYARD 67 

had been the Indian's friend in the 
truest sense and now when the labor of 
years was about to reach its highest re- 
ward in bringing back to the paths of 
peace the last remaining band of rene- 
gade Apache warriors he had been 
stricken down at the critical moment. 

The end was approaching. Slowly 
and surely his life was ebbing away and 
not one sign of recognition did he vouch- 
safe to his comrades. He had made the 
good fight and now the light went out 
from this God-fearing man as he lay in 
the borderland mountain glade sur- 
rounded by those who loved him as a 
friend, respected him as a comrade and 
revered him as the highest type of 
Christian soldier. 

His body was laid away in the shadow 
of the great juniper under which he had 



68 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

breathed his last, and when the grave 
had been filled " The Grey Fox " 
stepped to the foot of the mound and in 
the absence of the chaplain pronounced 
this unbiased and all too brief review of 
" Our Bayard's " life: 

'' His early years were spent midst a 
stern environment which imbued him 
with a conscience to which he ever ren- 
dered honest and strict account. An 
intense appreciation of the rights of 
others shaped his ideals and governed 
his achievements. In his heart and 
mind there ran a living stream of tender 
sympathy and infinite charity for all 
humanity which safe-guarded him from 
ignoble thought or deed. He came to us 
a high-minded and fearless young man 
with all the legitimate aspirations of an 
American soldier. He has served faith- 



OUR BAYARD 69 

fully and loyally to the end and leaves 
upon the pages of his regiment's history 
the simple, sweet record of a courageous 
and honorable life. Nothing could have 
induced this whole-souled cavalier to 
serve in other than a righteous cause 
and he never failed to use the blade 
when once he had drawn it. He saw 
honors and promotion come to others 
of not greater merit, yet uttered no word 
of complaint. If his great heart ever 
knew the sting of envy or disappoint- 
ment the knowledge of it will lie buried 
with him. He has gone to render his 
last account at the bar of the Almighty 
but he has left with his comrades a name 
which in years to come will be the syno- 
nym for chivalric courage, high en- 
deavor and all that is noblest in the com- 
radeship and fellowship of right minded 



70 



OLD ARMY SKETCHES 



soldiers. God bless his memory and 
peace be to the ashes of our comrade. ' ' 

The veteran sergeant-major stepped 
forward and with trembling hands laid 
upon the mound a tear-stained cross of 
mountain crocus — the soldiers' tribute 
to commissioned worth. Three volleys, 
a trifle ragged from manly sobbing, and 
then the last sad notes of taps wailed 
forth and were echoed and re-echoed 
along the canon sides. 
' ' One finds the Rose and one the Rod, 

The weak achieve, the mighty fail, 
None knows the dark design but God, 

Who made the Knight and made the 
Grail.'' 




A GAERISON REFORM 




N the outskirts of civili- 
zation in far away 
Arizona, before the 
advent of raih'oads 
and copper kings in 
that benighted re- 
gion, garrisons were 
maintained at many isolated posts. 
^' Ours " was officially stationed in the 
Verde Valley, but for more than a year 
all the troops had been in the field and 
what with short rations and night 
marches over stiff mountain trails 
every one was fagged out. When the 
Indians were at last corralled once 
more on the reservations the detach- 



72 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

ments made their way slowly back to 
tlieir stations and everything but 
guard, herding and police were dis- 
pensed with to give officers and men a 
well earned rest. It was about this 
period that an energetic, ambitious 
young fellow from West Point joined 
the regiment and he immediately be- 
came known to the old campaigners as 
" ThePlebe.'' 

As time went on the arrangement of 
duties seemed to fit so perfectly the gen- 
eral temper of the garrison that no one 
thought of suggesting a change. When 
" The Plebe '^ made a casual remark 
about the strange absence of military 
duties he was told by his captain to go 
out each day and hunt up fresh grazing 
grounds for the animals and a hint to 
the adjutant, a second lieutenant of reg- 



A GAERISON REFOEM 73 

ulars but ex-lieutenant-colonel of volun- 
teers with four years' war service to Ms 
credit, brought forth details as recorder 
of all the boards of survey and judge- 
advocate of the garrison court-martial 
which kept grinding away at the unpar- 
donable lapses. 

Things drifted along and '' The 
Plebe " still maintained his enthusiasm 
in a way which held the attention of all 
and won the admiration of many of the 
garrison. He went shooting almost 
every day and judged by the generous 
distribution along the officers' row of 
wild ducks, quail and other birds, he had 
fairly good luck. He climbed the neigh- 
boring bluffs and investigated all the 
ancient cliff dwellings and ruins which 
abounded in that locality. The regi- 
ment had long possessed a fine pack of 



74 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

greyhounds and he undertook to keep 
them exercised. He seldom returned 
from an hour's gallop without one or 
two jack-rabbits, and a rare sport this 
was in the old days before the barbed 
wire fence had penetrated the frontier 
— just the kind of cross country riding 
to make a good cavalryman. 

It was only on rare occasions that he 
could induce any of the older officers to 
take a half day with him for shooting 
or a run with the hounds and he finally 
concluded that it was all on account of a 
game of poker which seemed to fasci- 
nate nearly all the officers at one time or 
another. In fact, while only a few 
played at any one time there was always 
a candidate in waiting ready to fill the 
vacant seat whenever anyone dropped 
out of the game. While " The Plebe '' 



A GAREISON" REFOEM 75 

never ventured any criticism or remarks 
on the conduct of his superiors, it was 
observed that he never took part in any 
games for money stakes and to their 
credit be it said the most incorrigible 
players advised him to stick to his good 
resolution. 

On several occasions he had been seri- 
ously disturbed in his ideals when he 
saw men permitted to play in the game 
who were not on the visiting lists along 
the officers' row. He pondered long 
over this phase of the matter and finally 
concluded that the whole command had 
been demoralized by overwork in the 
field and that they had grown indiffer- 
ent to appearances. All they needed, in 
his opinion, was to have it made more 
pleasant elsewhere and then they would 
gladly quit wandering to the dingy card 
room at the post trader's. 



76 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

With this idea fixed in his mind ' ' The 
Plebe " broached the subject to the 
kindly, hospitable and experienced wife 
of the commanding officer. She was 
thoroughly in accord with his views as 
to the desirability of bringing about a 
reform but she feared that where there 
was such absolute isolation as then ex- 
isted at the posts in Arizona it was 
hardly possible to wean the hardened 
sinners away from their only amuse- 
ment. When he unfolded to her his 
scheme for effecting a reform she gladly 
acquiesced and promised to induce all 
the ladies of the garrison to work to- 
gether without creating any suspicion 
of interference with the time-honored 
rights of man. 

" The Plebe 's " plan was very simple 
for he only proposed that card parties 



A GAREISON EEFORM 77 

be given several evenings a week in the 
cosy quarters of the officers, which were 
far more attractive than the grimy 
rooms of the post trader. He expressed 
a wish to inaugurate the sly scheme by 
giving a whist party at his quarters for 
the officers and promised a game supper 
as an attraction. Upon the success of 
the initial event would depend the order 
of the other functions. 

Invitations were extended by " The 
Plebe " for a whist party and when the 
commanding officer accepted without 
delay the others all followed his lead. 

'' The Plebe '' was out with his gun 
for several days and when the evening 
for the card party arrived a choice as- 
sortment of game was ready for the sup- 
per. A bowl of punch was placed on the 
sideboard and also a decanter of 



78 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

'' straight '' for those who had acquired 
strong habits in Civil War days. 

At the appointed hour the officers 
commenced to arrive, and a handsome, 
bronzed lot of soldiers they were. They 
all appeared to enjoy the novelty of the 
thing and were bubbling over with good 
humor and with reminiscences. It is this 
reminiscent habit of army men which 
alwaj^s makes a civilian feel awkward 
in the presence of old comrades who 
have drunk from the same canteen. It 
appears impolite and really is so, but 
military men cannot escape the habit, 
for it is only through constant repetition 
of the incidents of service by flood and 
field that traditions attach to and be- 
come fixed in regiments. 

It was a typical and goodly lot of fel- 
lows who gathered about the whist tables 



A GARRISOX REFORM 79 

that night in the little frontier garrison. 
They were young in years but old in war 
experience, for some of them had al- 
ready participated in half a hundred 
battles and skirmishes and since then 
have gone forward to high professional 
distinction. 

When the play was fairly on there 
was silence, except when the punch was 
passed around, and the 3^oung host was 
growing inwardly gleeful at the thought 
of the interest they were exhibiting in 
whist and how very easy it is to wean 
a man from a bad habit if you only pro- 
vide a proper and attractive substitute. 
In fact when supper was ready it had to 
be delayed because of the interest dis- 
played in one of the games where a rub- 
ber had to be finished to determine the 
victors. 



80 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

The birds were toothsome, well cooked 
and well served. The rubbers were 
talked over and mentally played again. 
Good-will, a good supper and a deter- 
mination on the part of each guest to 
be entertaining was a combination that 
should have made any party a success. 
Everything was just as it ought to be 
and in furtherance of the cause of true 
reform — of the poker habit — it is to be 
regretted that the drop curtain could 
not have been lowered immediately 
after the midnight supper, when honest 
whist players should have gone to bed. 

There is some doubt as to exactly 
what happened after supper, but this 
much of the story was told next 
morning to the commanding officer's 
wife by " The Plebe," because the 
lady in question had promised to give 



A GARRISON REFORM 81 

the next whist party in the reform 
series : 

'' You see, madam, it was all going 
along so nicely and they had about 
finished their after-supper cigars when 
someone mentioned a fine poker hand 
he had held in the last game down at 
the trader 's store. All of a sudden there 
was a general silence and when it was 
most profound that miserable poker- 
playing doctor remarked : ' This would 
be a mighty cosy place for a little game. ' 

'' They forgot about whist and the 
lateness of the hour ; even the absence of 
chips did not deter them for they called 
for beans, and no army mess could 
safely deny having beans about the 
premises. Well, you know when poker 
gets interesting the players do not let 
i the fellows on the outside see their cards 
to any great extent. By and by the low 



82 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

tones of ^ raise you ' and ' call you ' 
grew fainter and fainter and I knew 
nothing more until roused about 3 
a. m. by a voice saying * Here, 
" Plebe;" the servants have all disap- 
peared and you will have to get some 
more lamps for the lights are going 
out.' 

** Ashamed of having gone to sleep 
while guests were in the house I bustled 
around and arranged fresh lights, and 
the game for blood went on. With no 
one to talk to I grew drowsy again and 
laid down. I soon dropped off to sleep 
and knew no more until my captain 
shook me gently and said, ' Your 
striker has come to call you for reveille 
and morning stables.' 

" I took my cape and forage cap, ex- 
cused myself to the weary but intent 
players and went to my morning troop 



A GARRISON REFORM 



83 



duties. When I came back from the 
troop stables, some time after smirise, 
the party had dispersed and my quar- 
ters are still being aired to get rid of the 
smoke and tlie memory of a reform 
movement that was side-tracked and 
failed." 




^^^^^^^w'^HISlL^S^^^^^^,^. ^^^^7"-^^^ 




^gjf ^SSJJSsit 



'"■^.Xik d^Arv, 



^ :i: :zsj)!i 



^.J,... 



CAVALRY TRl}MPETEn.—Zoghau, 



THE FORCE OF DISCIPLINE 




OUNGING about a camp 
fire in the mountains 
of New Mexico, 
back in the early 
seventies, was a 
group of bronzed 
and hardy-looking 
cavalry officers. They had been having 
a long and anxious discussion as to the 
chances of success of the different col- 
umns out after a band of hostile In- 
dians. Several detachments had come to- 
gether here in a little pass in the moun- 
tains, which had been often used by the 
renegades to effect their escape after 
committing depredations in the sparse 



86 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

settlements, but not a moccasin track or 
Indian sign had been seen. 

*^ Well, I guess they have gone out 
North or old ' Dutch ' would have 
pushed in here," said grizzled Captain 
Starr. '' The old man has had bad luck 
lately for he has always landed on a cold 
trail and had lots of trailing and no 
catching, and I sincerely hope he will 
get a crack at them this time." 

In the party were several young 
officers who had been in the regiment 
for some time but had not seen any- 
thing particularly military about old 
'' Dutch," as Captain Emil Dunkard 
had long been known, because he could 
not speak German, yet talked broken 
English like a true son of his father. 
The chances of Dunkard 's accomplish- 
ing anything were very remote from the 



THE FORCE OF DISCIPLINE 87 

thoughts in the minds of some of the 
recently appointed young lieutenants, 
and one with the utmost frankness said, 
' ' Well, if he gets anything it will surely 
surprise me, for I have been wondering 
ever since I joined the regiment how 
such a fellow ever got into the regular 
army at all ; he is so different from any 
ideals I had formed of army officers, 
especially those of a crack cavalry regi- 
ment. ' ' 

" Young gentlemen," said Captain 
Starr, " don't get on the wrong trail; 
Dunkard cannot speak either English or 
German correctly, and the sad part is 
that he knows it ; but he has a heart as 
true as steel and big enough for a regi- 
ment. He gave me this old brier root 
pipe after my first Indian fight in Texas, 
and I have always attributed the brevet 



88 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

I got for that affair as about evenly 
divided between Dunkard's advice and 
my bull-headed luck. I will tell you how 
he won his spurs in the volunteers, and 
was mentioned so favorably in dis- 
patches that it resulted in his coming 
back into the regulars as an officer. 
Never turn the cold shoulder to Emil 
Dunkard; he is true to the regiment, 
true to his friends, as square as a dollar, 
and regards obedience to orders as a re- 
ligious duty. This is the story as I heard 
it recited at a reunion of his old Penn- 
sylvania volunteer regiment several 
years ago, and what's more, there is 
nothing in their part of the state too 
good for Dunkard." 

Back in the early days of the Civil 
War when the armies which marched in 
the Grand Eeview had not vet been 



THE FOECE OF DISCIPLINE 89 

molded in the fiery furnace, there was 
hourly need of example and leadership. 
There was courage, patriotism and abil- 
ity to overflowing, but those with ex- 
perience and ken of vision to recognize 
ambition's opportunity were not crowd- 
ing each other in the narrow paths lead- 
ing to success. 

The Army of the Cmnberland was 
toiling slowly across Tennessee and the 
advance guard had bivouacked for the 
night, with pickets in sight of the 
enemy, guarding a bridge at the only 
practicable crossing of a narrow, deep 
stream coursing its way through 
rugged bluffs. The enemy was bold 
and enterprising and had fallen back 
only when hard pressed by superior 
numbers and fighting stubbornly. 

The advance of the Pennsylvania vol- 



90 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

unteer cavalry regiment, to which Dun- 
karcl belonged, and which had been lead- 
ing the column on the main road during 
the day, was relieved and withdrawn at 
dusk. The men were just settling down 
in a cheerless bivouac when the division 
and army commanders, with a small 
group of staff officers, halted on the 
turnpike nearby and entered into con- 
versation with the colonel. The com- 
mander of the invading army was in fine 
spirits over the success of his strategic 
movement, but there was evident 
anxiety as to the morrow on account of 
the stream immediately in his front. 

With a desire for more accurate infor- 
mation the general asked for the officer 
who had conducted the advance party 
during the day. The colonel's orderly 
was sent to the bivouac for Captain 



THE FORCE OF DISCIPLINE 91 

Emil Dunkard, and soon a travel- 
stained but soldierly-looking young 
man came forward. Upon arriving 
near the party and hearing the gen- 
eral's voice, he suddenl}^ assumed the 
position of attention, rendered a smart 
salute, and stood waiting for recogni- 
tion. 

*^ Captain,'' said the general, '' you 
commanded the extreme advance guard 
to-day; describe the conditions in our 
immediate front. ' ' 

Captain Dunkard, with an accent un- 
mistakable in its localization, accurately 
described the situation at the old cov- 
ered bridge, at dusk, when he received 
the order to withdraw his men from the 
front. 

^' You have seen service before, cap- 
tain. Have we met ? " 



OLD AEMY SKETCHES 



ii 



Yes, general, I served with you on 
the Utah expedition. I was a sergeant 
in your troop of the old Second Dra- 
goons just before you left the regiment. 
I was discharged and went home about 
the time this cavalry regiment was being 
raised for the war." 

*^ Oh! I thought I had heard you 
speak before. I remember you very 
well and am glad you are here. I wish 
we had more experienced soldiers in 
every one of these fine volunteer regi- 
ments, just to show the way. I expect a 
lot of good work from this regiment, 
captain." 

Long before dawn the drowsy troop- 
ers were roused and were standing to 
horse in the nearby fields and woods, 
when the infantry moved up and began 
forming for battle. As soon as dawn en- 



THE FOECE OF DISCIPLINE 93 

abled them to see, the lines of skirmish- 
ers pressed to the front, and the fight 
was on. 

It was soon evident that the enemy, 
with exception of a small rear guard, 
had withdrawn across the bridge, which 
was defended by two pieces of artillery 
and a small infantry support well con- 
cealed behind the neighboring bank. 
The guns were served accurately and, 
aided by the fire of the infantry from 
the opposite bank, held the advance of 
the enemy in check. 

The skirmishers were creeping for- 
ward in the fields to stop the spiteful fire 
of the two guns, which covered the long 
stretch of road on which the army was 
approaching, when suddenly the noise 
of tearing up the bridge flooring was 
heard. 



94 OLD AKMY SKETCHES 

Word was sent back to the supports 
and the skirmishers closed more boldly 
on the guns, which yet held their 
ground. Nothing could stand on the 
road and cleared ground before the 
grape and canister which at every at- 
tempt had been poured into the advance. 
The commander of the army, who had 
come forward to observe the situation 
from a neighboring knoll, behind which 
the cavalry regiment in advance had 
been massed, concluded that the guns 
were to be sacrificed by the retreating 
enemy. Delay meant destruction of the 
bridge, for with his field glasses he could 
see the infantry support slipping across 
a few at a time. Just as a message in- 
formed him that the bridge flooring was 
being torn up there was a cessation of 
fire and two artillery teams, whose pres- 



THE FOECE OF DISCIPLINE 95 

ence had not been discovered, dashed 
from their place of concealment and, 
limbering up, started across the bridge 
with the guns. 

Divining quickly that the boards had 
been loosened and that the passage of 
the guns would be followed by im- 
mediate destruction of the bridge, the 
general turned to the cavalry and his 
eyes fell upon Dunkard sitting erect and 
motionless in the saddle, with his men 
well closed up, with nerves at high ten- 
sion and appearing confident of their 
leader. 

'' Dunkard," said the general, '' that 
bridge must be saved at any cost; lead 
your men to the charge ! ' ' 

The infantry skirmishers had already 
noted the movement of the guns but they 
were still subjected to a constant and ac- 



96 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

curate fire from the opposite bank. Sud- 
denly a column of cavalry filed into the 
road, which had been previously kept 
clear of troops by the enemy's guns, and 
quickly increasing the gait and without 
sound of bugle or command other than 
Dunkard's '' Follow me, men," they 
dashed for the bridge. The distance was 
not great but the pace was furious and 
the column strung out, with Emil Dunk- 
ard well in the lead. 

The guns had already reached the op- 
posite side of the stream and w^ere about 
to unlimber. A party of sappers were 
pulling up the loosened planks in the 
middle of the bridge when Dunkard and 
the head of his column thundered on the 
board floor. There was a rousing cheer 
from the line of battle in rear and the 
welcome noise of friendly guns, which 



THE FORCE OF DISCIPLINE 97 

had at last come into action against the 
enemy on the opposite side, but there 
was no sound in Dunkard's ears but, 
^' That bridge must be saved at any 
cost! " Dashing forward at headlong 
speed, with his saber arm full extended 
across the roadway as if to indicate that 
none should pass in front of him, he sud- 
denly discovered a yawning gap in the 
bridge flooring where it had been torn 
up after the guns had passed. Drawing 
in the reins slightly and closing his legs, 
Dunkard steadied his horse for the leap, 
and as he rose in the air he realized that 
not many of the heavily-weighted troop 
horses could clear the gap. Landing 
safely he found himself alone on the 
enemy's side, but giving his horse the 
rein he dashed on with a loud and ring- 
ing cheer. 



98 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

The thundering noise of the charge on 
the bridge and the increasing fire of the 
advancing troops had caused the enemy 
to break, and Dunkard found himself 
alone with the two guns, just unlimbered 
to sweep the bridge and the gunners 
scampering in all directions. Some of 
his men dismounted and passing over 
the gap by means of the stringers 
quickly joined him and opened fire on 
the retreating gunners and their sup- 
ports. The way was clear and the rest 
was easy. The bridge floor was rap- 
idly repaired and the crossing of the 
army began. 

The cavalry was highly elated; they 
had found a hero in their ranks, and his 
brother officers crowded around to show 
him their keen appreciation of his suc- 
cessful charge. 



THE FORCE OF DISCIPLINE 



99 



''' By George, we are proud of you, 
Dunkard! " said the adjutant, " How 
did you ever have the courage to jump 
over twenty feet of water on to a pile of 
loose flooring boards? " 

" Didn't you hear my old captain 
say, ' Dunkard, that bridge must be 
saved at any cost — lead your men to the 
charge.' There tvas nothing else to do," 




A BRAND FROM THE BURNING 

ELL, I know it 
looks bad, but I 
am sure that he 
is entirely in- 
nocent of any 
intentional 
wrong - doing. Ap- 
pearances are often 
deceitful, you know. Still we must round 
him up and find out where he stands. It 
won't do to treat these debt complaints 
in a perfunctory manner. ' ' 

Thus spoke the colonel as he handed 
to the adjutant a War Department 
document of a tenor quite unfamiliar 
to the usual correspondence of his regi- 




103 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

ment. Indeed the case looked very bad 
from the money-lender's standpoint, 
and he had spared no harsh words in 
urging the Department to bring the de- 
linquent to a settlement or cause him to 
suffer dire consequences. 

In every department of the public ser- 
vice there are some who imagine that a 
meagre government salary justifies the 
gratification of every whim so long as 
credit holds out, and who become 
furious at the mere suggestion that a 
settlement would be agreeable to their 
creditors. Others there are who incur 
debts in a dazed sort of way, trusting to 
blind fate to bring relief. 

Lieutenant Wilful Hazard belonged 
to neither of those classes, and the 
colonel was disposed to go slowly and 
determine just what was the matter be- 



A BEAND FEOM THE BURNING 103 

fore allowing the name of one of Ms 
best subalterns to be entered in the 
records of black sheep at the War De- 
partment. Calling for the return of the 
document he locked it in his desk and 
sallied forth on his morning rounds of 
the garrison. 

The early drills and the mounting of 
the guard were over and those officers 
not on duty had gone to their quarters 
or to the mess to glance over the mail 
before turning out for the next function. 
The colonel had looked over one of the 
barracks — ^he inspected them in turn 
each day — and was passing the stables 
when he glanced across into a troop 
blacksmith shop and was surprised to 
see Mr. Hazard hard at work shoeing a 
horse, and doing the job too as if he 
was accustomed to it. 



104 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

The colonel crossed the road and stood 
watching the operation and was highly 
pleased to see that it was being well 
done. When the young man had finished 
turning down the clenches he dropped 
the horse's foot and, as he straightened 
up, discovered the colonel observing 
him. With his fine form, handsome 
young face and blonde hair he looked 
anything but the horseshoer which the 
long leather apron betokened. As soon 
as he recognized his commanding officer 
he removed the apron and in his inimit- 
able and pleasing manner said, '' Good 
morning, sir! Won't you walk in? " — 
just as if he was inviting the colonel into 
his personal quarters. 

' ' Well, what are you doing here, Mr. 
Hazard — rather unusual, is it not, for 
one of my officers to be depriving a good 
man of his job as horseshoer? " 



A BRAND FROM THE BURNING 105 

'^ Well, colonel, you see, the last time 
I went on a scout one of the horses lost a 
shoe on the trail just as we had to cross 
a long flat, covered with bits of lava, and 
while every man had horse shoes and 
nails in his saddle pockets, not one knew 
how to put on a shoe, nor was there a 
shoeing hammer or rasp in the entire 
party. I felt ashamed for the regiment 
and I determined never to be caught 
that way again. I have ordered every 
man of the detachment to learn how to 
tack on a shoe, and I am setting an ex- 
ample by learning to do it myself. ' ' 

The colonel was highly pleased and 
wanted to give the full commendation 
which the youngster so well deserved, 
but he remembered that miserable debt 
complaint in his desk and was not as 
profuse as he otherwise would have 



106 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

been. The colonel knew that old Major 
Gall would have suggested, had he been 
there, that the young man had planned 
this scene at the blacksmith shop just to 
curry favor with the commanding oiScer, 
but such a thought could find no lodge- 
ment in this gallant old veteran's mind. 
Still the good name of the regiment was 
too valuable to be questioned by a pro- 
fessional money-lender and the colonel, 
with just the least little effort at serious- 
ness, said, '' Mr. Hazard, I would like 
to see you at my quarters this afternoon 
at three o'clock," and then turned away 
to continue his tour of inspection. 

How could it be possible for svich a 
young man to go wrong. He had strug- 
gled through four years of almost prison 
labor at West Point to obtain his diplo- 
ma, was always ready for field service, 



A BRAND FROM THE BURNING 107 

proficient in all his duties, ambitious for 
his regiment as well as for self, and 
withal an amiable and companionable 
gentleman. All this the colonel pondered 
over as he strolled about the garrison, 
and while his heart-strings pulled him 
to the side of leniency he determined not 
to be made ridiculous at the War Depart- 
ment by any exhibition of weakness in 
dealing with the derelictions of a plausi- 
ble but perhaps wayward officer. And 
so he braced himself for the ordeal of 
quizzing the young man concerning his 
financial affairs. 

Mr. Hazard was entirely unconscious 
of any official act committed or duty 
neglected which should cause the colonel 
to appoint so unusual an hour for him 
to call at the commanding officer's quar- 
ters. He presumed that he alone knew 



108 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

of his financial entanglements and of 
the economies he was compelled to prac- 
tice to clear himself of debt. He had ut- 
tered no complaint and had asked no as- 
sistance. He contributed his share to all 
garrison functions demanding assess- 
ments, though he well knew there was no 
compulsion in any form. In fact he was 
bearing his own burden with the full 
consciousness that his family were not 
in position to do otherwise than add to 
the weight of his load. Imagine then the 
shock he received when, having seated 
himself in the colonel's den, the hitherto 
kindly gentleman opened the conversa- 
tion with : ' ' Mr. Hazard, this is a very 
disagreeable duty, but the honor of my 
regiment is at stake, sir ! This communi- 
cation from the War Department about 
your loose financial methods is shocking, 



A BEAND FEOM THE BUENING 109 

sir, shocking! I don't understand how 
a young man so recently out of The 
Point could have become entangled in 
this way unless he is just naturally bad, 
sir!" 

There comes in every man's life some 
moments when, if he be not a milksop, 
all his self-control and cool judgment 
are required to prevent him from taking 
a course dictated by chagrin and anger 
and which seldom leads to any other end 
than vain and deep regret. The fateful 
moment had arrived for Wilful Hazard, 
and it was fortunate for his future that 
he was too much shocked to make im- 
mediate reply. The hot blood surged to 
his head and face. It was some moments 
before he could collect his thoughts, and 
in the meantime the colonel, who had 
shot the rude bolt he had been forging 



110 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

before Hazard's arrival, began to see the 
effects of his language, and then his own 
gentle character reasserted itself. 

It was a strange, sad voice that came 
from the young lad's throat. He ap- 
peared to have suddenly grown old and 
to be walking in one of life's pathways 
strewn only with ashes. He had gazed 
fixedly at the formidable looking docu- 
ment which the colonel had handed him 
at the close of his harsh speech and Haz- 
ard 's only words had been " Silverberg; 
is it possible? " 

*' Come, Mr. Hazard; tell me the 
whole truth and we will counsel to- 
gether." It was not the stern com- 
mander who now spoke, but one of 
nature's noblemen whose soul had re- 
ceived its greatest wrench when his own 
boy, just verging upon manhood, was 



A BRAND FROM THE BURNING 111 

taken away by the dreaded typhoid 
fever which had swept through the little 
frontier garrison two years before. 

*^ Colonel, my first impulse was to 
treat this wretch with scorn and let him 
do his worst, and even now I may have 
to do it. You have always been so con- 
siderate of your officers and men that I 
feel that the whole story should be laid 
bare. Perhaps I have done wrong, and 
if I alone might suffer I fear my resent- 
ment at Silverberg would not down. 
There are others now to be considered 
and you shall know it all without re- 
serve. 

'^ When I joined the regiment I was 
free from debt or any obligation what- 
ever. My father had died while I was 
still at West Point, but he had left trust 
funds to support my mother and sister 



112 OLD AKMY SKETCHES 

in the hands of his friend, the cashier of 
our home bank, one of the most promi- 
nent members of our church. I had no 
one to care for but myself and my pay 
seemed like a fortune after my Spartan 
life as a cadet. 

'' You remember when the general 
and his staff were here a year ago and 
attached me to their party for a visit to 
headquarters. A railroad president who 
had been with the general all through 
the Civil War, joined the party at Kan- 
sas City, and we went on to Chicago in 
his private car. He was very kind to 
me, and after we arrived he put me up 
at a swell club where I was treated roy- 
ally by a lot of elderly and wealthy 
gentlemen.'' 

" Before I left here I went to say 
good-by to the mess, and Major Gall was 



A BEAND FEOM THE BURNING 113 

very particular to impress upon me be- 
fore all the young officers that if I failed 
to hold up my end with the Chicago 
crowd I had better take the number off 
my cap and try another regiment. I did 
not know then what a double-faced old 
cynic the major is and I determined the 
regiment should find no fault with me.'' 
" I had a splendid time for a few 
days but met my Waterloo one rainy 
afternoon at the club when my partic- 
ular friends were all absent. I was look- 
ing over the newspapers when old Mr. 
Croesus, to whom I had been introduced, 
came over and asked if I would join a 
little card party on the floor above. I 
had no idea of getting into a game of 
poker for I had noticed in the rules that 
no games of chance, for money, were 
allowed in the club house. I know little 



114 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

or nothing about cards but I was 
ashamed to back out. Well I thought 
of Major Gall's parting words and 
stayed in the game, with the result that 
I was indebted to Mr. Croesus to the ex- 
tent of about five hundred. I told him 
I was in the city for a few days only and 
would ask him to take my note until 
I returned to my station. He waved me 
away and said never mind any note, that 
it would be all right to pay when con- 
venient. I have no doubt if he had 
realized my predicament he would have 
tried to cancel the debt then and there, 
for he is a big-hearted man with a barrel 
of money. 

" I came back a bit wiser, but was not 
worried for I knew my mother would 
help me out. I wrote a frank statement 
to her and she answered that she had 



A BRAND FROM THE BURNING 115 

turned over everything to the bank 
cashier to invest for her, but enclosed a 
check for the full amount, which she had 
borrowed on her personal note in order 
that her boy should not be under obliga- 
tions to a stranger. 

" A few weeks afterward I was hor- 
rified to learn that my father's friend, 
the cashier, had disappeared with every 
cent of my mother's funds and that she 
and my sister were left dependent upon 
me. 

'^ I had paid several small debts for 
uniforms and had begun to put aside 
some of my pay each month to take up 
the note which my mother had given on 
my account, so that I was able to send a 
small amount for immediate needs. The 
shock incident to being left penniless, 
through a trusted friend, brought on a 



116 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

serious illness and my mother has never 
regained her strength. 

'' I managed to keep my head above 
water for some months, but when the 
doctor's bill and the note my mother had 
given on my account all fell dvie at the 
same time, I was in a quandary. 

'' It was then my real troubles began, 
for in glancing over the service papers 
I saw advertisements offering financial 
assistance to embarrassed officers. One 
of the firms was headed by a retired offi- 
cer long in the business and the other 
was the complainant in the papers re- 
ferred to you. 

' ' I concluded that to pay my mother 's 
note with interest, and to meet the other 
bills of my mother and sister, about a 
thousand dollars would be necessary. I 
divided the amount between the two 



A BRAND FROM THE BURNING 117 

firms and obtained loans from them on 
notes secured by the deposit of pay ac- 
counts 

a rpj^g retired officer's firm let me have 
the money at one per cent, and I closed 
with them at once. This left the later 
pay accounts for Silverberg, and he de- 
manded two per cent. I had to get re- 
lief so I signed the notes without stated 
interest, just to cover any flaws which he 
claimed sometimes existed in pay ac- 
counts. Before the accounts became due 
an officer was tried for some queer finan- 
cial transactions and Silverberg lost 
some advances he had made to him. He 
wrote to me that his risks had become so 
great in handling this class of business 
that his charges would be three per cent 
after the first of the following month, 
four per cent the next month and there- 



118 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

after five per cent. It was a tight place 
for me for I had no security to offer 
anyone but my pay accounts and Silver- 
berg had those already. The interest 
rate did not worry me at first for I had 
never borrowed before, but as my debt 
grew steadily I saw I must reduce my 
expenses to the lowest possible amount 
or I would soon be swamped." 

^^ Why, Mr. Hazard," said the colonel, 
^' you surely did not expect to borrow 
money for less than five per cent per 
annum ? That is quite reasonable ! " 

^^But, colonel, I did not say that ; Sil- 
verberg is charging me five per cent per 
month! " 

" Sixty per cent a year ! " shouted the 
colonel, " why young man I don't won- 
der you look troubled. This will never 
do in the world. Go and bring Silver- 



A BEAND FROM THE BURNING 119 

berg's letters and a statement of the 
debt to me at once. This is scandalous, 
sir ; absolutely scandalous ! ' ' 

When Hazard returned from his 
quarters with the threatening letters 
from the retired usurer who had since 
been paid and those of the blood-sucking 
Shylock — Silverberg — the colonel was 
pacing the floor and muttering to him- 
self, and as the young man was about to 
push aside the portiere he heard, '* All 
wrong to gamble, but he lost and paid 
like a gentleman ; just think of the hypo- 
critical hound who robbed his mother 
and the retired officer who advertises 
offering financial assistance to dis- 
tressed officers and then this Silverberg, 
the scoundrel." 

Hazard tapped gently on the door cas- 
ing and was promptly bidden to enter. 



120 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

The colonel calculated the rapidly ac- 
cumulating interest and, taking a tele- 
graph blank from his desk, wrote this 
message to his brother in New York: 
^' Go to Silverberg's, Broadway, take 
up note and pay accounts Lieutenant 
Wilful Hazard — draw on me for 
amount — express my opinion of firm 
and its business in your choicest West- 
ern Reserve Dialect." The colonel's 
brother had been addicted in early life 
to such strange oaths that he, the 
colonel, who was a model of propriety, 
had characterized the profanity as 
Western Reserve Dialect. 

The colonel awaited further action un- 
til he had Silverberg's accounts in hand 
and then returned the complaint 
through the official channels accom- 
panied by proper receipts. In order that 



A BRAND FROM THE BURNING 121 

the 3^oung officer's character should not 
be permanently injured by his indiscre- 
tion and misfortune the colonel wrote 
to his old friend the general in Chicago 
and so the story got to the ears of 
Croesus, now more wealthy than ever 
through a favorable turn in the market. 
Croesus immediately mailed a check to 
young Hazard with a profuse apology 
for having invited him into the game 
and asking him to accept the amount of 
his losses. Promptly the check came 
back with a very polite note from Wil- 
ful Hazard stating that he appreciated 
the spirit in which the check was tend- 
ered, but that under no circumstances 
could he accept it. 

Old Croesus was very thoughtful 
after reading the note and only re- 
marked: '' Egad, the youngster is game 



132 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

all through and I want to know more of 
him. ' ' 

And so it came about that when one 
of his confidential clerks reported to 
him, after several months of investiga- 
tion, that the young officer's troubles 
arose mainly from losses incurred 
through an absconding cashier, and that 
the defaulter was a distant kinsman of 
Croesus himself, immediate steps were 
taken to relieve the bondsmen and make 
good the losses inflicted upon the small 
country bank and through the theft of 
trust funds. 

Wilful Hazard never knew how this 
restoration came about, but it made him 
light-hearted again when he had 
squared accounts with the dear old 
colonel, who on the surface had acted 
to save the honor of his regiment, but in 



A BRAND FROM THE BURNING 123 

his heart had planned to save a lad who 
had been caught between the upper and 
lower millstones. 





EAGLE FEATHER.— I^ariim. 



AN OLD DEAGOON 



jf PON promotion to the 
grade of first lieutenant it 
was my fortune to be as- 
signed to the troop com- 
manded by Captain Jim 
Kerry, as rare a bit of 
character as could be 
found in the old army. My 
orders directed me to go 
to the camp of one of our squadrons, 
guarding the construction parties at the 
end of the transcontinental railway then 
building in Kansas, there to take charge 
of a detachment of recruits and the pay- 
master 's escort and proceed further 
west to my new station. After a racking 




126 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

trip in the caboose of a work train I ar- 
rived at the end of the track and found 
the squadron camp located in a fine 
grove of cottonwoods. 

The regiment had been long dispersed 
over Texas in small detachments and 
was just now being concentrated by 
squadrons, because of the danger inci- 
dent to operating against larger bands of 
Indians than had been previously en- 
countered. I had met nearly all the offi- 
cers of the regiment but there were still 
a few, including Captain Kerry, whose 
acquaintance was yet to be made. I was 
warmly congratulated by the officers 
gathered at the squadron commander's 
tent on having, after a long apprentice- 
ship, become a first lieutenant. Promo- 
tion was dreadfully slow in those days 
and lieutenants who in many cases had 



A¥ OLD DKAGOON 127 

commanded battalions and regiments in 
the Civil War regarded a single file as 
an object of serious ambition. 

^^ And so, Mr. Blake, you are going to 
join old Jim Kerry, the Irish Dragoon, 
and they tell me you have never met be- 
fore," said the major. " It adds much 
interest in life to have such a man as 
Kerry in the regiment. A rare old fellow 
to be sure but not half bad — not half 
bad, Mr. Blake, as you will learn if you 
ever get in such a closed pocket as we did 
together at Brandy Station." This 
speech of the major's was followed by 
knowing smiles and sly winks on the 
part of all the younger men. 

a TJiere is nothing the old man likes 
so much as an argument on any subject 
except one involving the 'parformance 
of juty ' as he calls it. He has his own 



128 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

well-established opinions of regulations 
and the customs of the old dragoons, 
which are to him the customs of the ser- 
vice, and you will be wise, Mr. Blake, not 
to run counter to his ways if you wish to 
lead a peaceful life," continued the 
major. 

I had heard many different stories 
of '' Old Jim Kerry,'' one dating back 
to the time he nearly spoiled the plan of 
escape from Libby Prison because he 
stopped in the tunnel through which the 
prisoners were crawling and began an 
argument as to who was responsible for 
mashing his fingers. I had some anxiety, 
but I vowed that I would not be drawn 
into any argument or indiscretion until 
I could solve the old dragoon's personal 
equation to my own satisfaction. Then 
as my family claimed descent from a 



AK OLD DRAGOON 129 

few Irish kings I thought that might 
strike a favorable chord in the old vet- 
eran's heart, and indeed I subsequently 
had every reason to believe it did. 

The journey to my new station, dur- 
ing the beautiful autumn weather, seems 
now like a dream. Day after day, mov- 
ing slowly over the rolling prairie, cov- 
ered with a luxuriant growth of grass 
and flowers, not a house or sign of civili- 
zation as far as the eye could reach, 
rarely out of sight of the buffalo herds 
traveling slowly southward; antelope, 
deer, and wild turkeys springing from 
the Cottonwood bottoms along every 
stream, — these were the scenes that 
made the dangers of frontier life fade 
away in the keen appreciation and en- 
joyment of nature. The whole country, 
far west into the foothills of the 



130 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

Rockies, was a sportsman's paradise 
and, as one of the liberty-loving sub- 
alterns expressed it, the life of an officer 
"under such conditions would have been 
ideal but for the existence of soldiers 
and Indians. But all journeys have an 
end and one fine morning we drove into 
the camp still occupied by the troops, 
while work on the rough board barracks 
and quarters was progressing slowly. 

Aside from the popularity of his call- 
ing the paymaster was a personal favor- 
ite from Fort Leavenworth to Sante Fe, 
and when the team stopped, a tall, 
broad-shouldered, raw-boned officer 
with reddish hair and huge mustache, 
thrust in his big hand to grasp that of 
the paymaster. 

'' Well, old man," said the paymaster, 
^^ I have brought you a fine addition to 



AN OLD DEAGOOlSr 131 

your military family. Captain Kerry, 
let me introduce your new first lieu- 
tenant, Mr. Blake, whom I hear is also 
descended from one of the royal fam- 
ilies of Cork. Anyway he is a devilish 
pleasant traveling companion, and I 
hope you won't be hard on him." 

" Glad I am to see you, Mr. Blake," 
said Kerry. '^ Strange we never met in 
Texas, but I heard of you from Sandy 
Curwen, who has a soft spot in his heart 
for you ever since that affair on the 
Staked Plains. Fine man, Sandy, but 
he made the mistake of his life when he 
enlisted for the Mexican War in the 
Mounted Rifles instead of the old Dra- 
goons." They had both been promoted 
to the grade of second lieutenant the 
same day at the outbreak of the Civil 
War in '61. 



132 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

Captain Kerry showed the pajnuaster 
to his tent and left him there to complete 
the muster and pay rolls. He gave direc- 
tions about my baggage and then went 
with me to have a look at the squad of 
recruits just coming in with the wagons. 
The squad was composed of selected 
men who had been under instruction at 
the Cavalry Depot, and they fell in 
ranks with much smartness for they too 
had heard of the big dragoon who was 
to be their future commander. He went 
along the line, viewing each man with a 
critical eye, then placing himself in 
front and facing them he said with his 
inimitable Irish brogue, *^ You have 
come to join the finest regiment now in 
the service " — his old dragoon regiment 
had long since been merged with the 
cavalry — '' and I expect every man to 



AN" OLD DRAGOON 133 

do his full duty. There will be enough 
to do to keep you out of mischief unless 
you are hunting for trouble ; there will 
soon be a new town growing up here, 
when the railroad comes, and I expect 
you to preserve order and not make dis- 
order. Beware of intoxication, for if 
you get drunk the sergeant will arrest 
you, I mil try you and you'll get $5.00 
blind and thirty days. You'll have to- 
day to draw your kits and clean up." 

As we turned and walked towards the 
tents of the officers Captain Kerry said 
to me, " Mr. Blake, you can begin to- 
morrow and take reveille and retreat 
roll calls, morning stables, drills, non- 
commissioned officers' school and — " 
just here the captain stepped in a 
gopher hole, stumbled and recovered 
himself with a violent e:ffort but with 



134 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

such a loss of temper that he forgot my 
other assignments or I should have prob- 
ably had everything in camp on my 
shoulders. I was not long, however, 
in learning that Jim Kerry was neither 
lazy nor careless. He had others take 
reveille roll calls but he was out be- 
fore any of them. He was here, there, 
everywhere at all hours ; never interfer- 
ing unnecessarily but seeing that noth- 
ing was neglected and that the interests 
of the government were always of the 
first consideration. 

As time passed and I became accus- 
tomed to his harsh Irish brogue and his 
straight-laced methods of duty, I felt 
sure the odd old soldier, whose personal 
gallantry was the pride of the regiment, 
was not half as bad as he had been 
painted. The first collision we had arose 



AN OLD DEAGOOlSr 135 

over the proceedings of a Garrison 
Court-Martial of which I was the re- 
corder. As the commanding officer, 
Captain Kerry reviewed the proceed- 
ings. He was not satisfied with them 
but appeared dubious about asserting 
his own beliefs. He sent for me and 
argued long and most positively in de- 
fense of his views. I stood my ground 
and he finally demanded why I held such 
ideas of the evidence, and I replied with 
some warmth, " Because it is the law, 
sir! '' 

'' Ah! Mr. Blake, show me the law, 
sir, and I will withdraw my objections." 

I went to my professional library, 
limited to about a dozen volumes, and 
found what I regarded as an unassail- 
able defense of my position. Returning 
to the captain's tent with a feeling of 



136 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

assured victory I read the law on the 
case in question; lie knitted his brows 
and seemed provoked, and told me to 
read it again. 

Slowly, and with the most effective 
emphasis I could give it, I read the 
selection again. He only muttered 
'^ Humph! humph! " 

Suddenly he reached out his big hand 
and took the volume. He closely scanned 
the page from which I had been reading 
and then turned to the fly leaf. He re- 
turned the volume to me with an air of 
scorn and said, '' That is only Mr. 
' Blackstone's Opinions; ' it is the law 
Iwant, Mr. Blake." 

Soon after this occurrence rush orders 
were received to send out the troops at 
the camp to head off a band of Cheyenne 
Indians, who had left the reservation 



AN OLD DRAGOON 137 

in Indian Territory, with the avowed in- 
tention of joining the northern branch 
of their tribe in the Sioux country. The 
three captains junior to himself were 
started immediately to cover the coun- 
try to the south and keep in touch with 
each other. Within a few hours Kerry 
had organized the convalescents, the em- 
ployes and the extra duty men to guard 
the camp, leaving the quartermaster in 
command, he marched at dusk and soon 
after midnight bivouacked in a heavy 
grove of timber thirty miles to the 
south. The other troops had passed be- 
yond this point and were covering the 
broad prairie which stretched away in 
an apparently endless plain. Orders 
were passed to the men to unsaddle, 
lariat the animals in the luxuriant grass 
and go to sleep ; no smoking and no fires 
were permitted. 



138 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

At the first sign of dawn Captain 
Kerry rose from the saddle blanket on 
which he had been resting and gave 
orders to saddle and '' stand to horse." 
Taking the half-breed guide and an 
orderly he went towards a low knoll be- 
yond the edge of the timber and soon 
he and the guide were lying behind the 
crest scanning the prairie. Creeping 
back to their horses, they mounted and 
rode up the stream, the captain sending 
the orderly to me with instructions to 
follow under cover of the trees and un- 
dergrowth. We had marched about four 
miles when the captain rejoined and 
halted the troop at the mouth of a broad 
dip in the prairie, which served to drain 
a large area into the valley of the stream 
along which we were marching. Here we 
remained concealed during the day, 



AN OLD DEAGOOlSr 139 

while the captain and the guide watched 
patiently from the nearest vantage 
ground. 

It was about two o'clock when Cap- 
tain Kerry came back rapidly from his 
lookout station and dispatched couriers 
up and down the stream with orders to 
cut the trails of the outgoing troops, 
overtake them and guide them back with 
all possible speed. The saddles were 
adjusted, arms examined and every- 
thing made ready for a fight. We had 
not long to wait for soon there came 
in sight down the broad coulee a few 
Indian bucks followed by a caravan of 
ponies, travois, squaws, and children, 
with a group of splendidly mounted 
warriors bringing up the rear. 

Kerry sent one trumpeter up and the 
other down the stream to carry out cer- 



140 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

tain confidential instructions. Allowing 
the Indians to approach nearly to the 
mouth of the coulee he moved out in 
skirmish order, covered the exit and 
swung his flanks around, putting the 
Indians completely in a pocket. As 
Kerry had anticipated, a dozen or more 
white flags went up immediately from 
various parts of the traveling band and 
their rear guard dashed furiously to 
the front to defend their families with 
their life's blood, as was their custom. 
Kerry knew well their fighting charac- 
ter, and secretly sympathized with their 
longing to go to their old hunting 
grounds up north. He did not, however, 
wish to bring on an action if it could be 
avoided, for fear the women and chil- 
dren would suffer. 
He sent the half-breed guide to sum- 



AlSr OLD DEAGOON 141 

mon the chiefs, and to his surprise one 
of them drew forth a pass for a party 
of Arapahoes to hunt outside the Terri- 
tory. Captain Kerry appeared to be 
much gratified to find this was not the 
band he was after. He casually lifted 
his hat and there was a series of trumpet 
calls up stream, immediately followed 
by others from the grove below. He 
hastily dispatched two orderlies to halt 
the make-believe commands. Soon the 
trumpeters sounded the *^ halt " and the 
orderlies returned. Kerry outwitted 
these famous Indians completely and 
made them go into camp on the open 
prairie, where they were carefully 
guarded until his cordon of troops was 
found and brought back to reinforce his 
small command. When daylight came 
again the Indian found themselves 



142 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

hemmed in by three troops and the 
fourth in sight, coming rapidly across 
the prairie. 

In due course of time the runaways 
were returned to the tender mercies of 
their agent and in bidding farewell to 
the crest-fallen chief Kerry remarked, 
^ ' Eagle Feather, the next time you want 
to use that Arapahoe pass just take off 
your Cheyenne moccasins, by Jupiter! " 

The Indians were not the only crest- 
fallen people in the vicinity, for several 
ambitious young cavalry officers never 
ceased to wonder how the long-headed 
old Dragoon scooped them so badly in 
bagging the quarry. As for Kerry he 
was generosity itself, for he not only 
never chided his officers for letting the 
band slip through their cordon but even 
said, '' Mr. Blake and I just showed 



AN OLD DRAGOON 143 

old ' Eagle Feather ' a trick or two that 
time.'' 

We did not settle down to a monoton- 
ous existence, for by the time our rude 
quarters were completed, the advance 
guard of the railway constructors was 
upon us and there was abundance of 
excitement and trouble. Upon one 
occasion there was to be a celebra- 
tion in the canvas village which had 
sprung up on the town site and 
all the officers were specially in- 
vited. I was serving a tour as 
officer of the day, and although much 
interested in the novel scenes going on 
around us I had no idea of asking to be 
relieved from guard to go with the 
party. To my utter surprise, when I 
made my report at retreat, Captain 
Kerry said, '' Mr. Blake, you are a 



144 OLD AKMY SKETCHES 

young man and it is not every day you 
have a chance to see the things that's 
going on here. If you want to go with 
the party, I will take your saber." 

Had it been anyone but Captain 
Kerry himself I should never have ac- 
cepted, but a suggestion from so strict a 
disciplinarian was equal to a command. 
It was arranged that I should '' take my 
saber " again upon my return at mid- 
night. When I did so, and went to the 
guard house, I found that a prisoner, 
being held for the town authorities, had 
escaped and No. 1 had had his belts 
taken off and was endeavoring to un- 
ravel the tangled skein of trouble in the 
solitude of a cell. 

It gave me sincere regret to know 
that Captain Kerry had lost a prisoner 
and had been put to so much trouble 



AN OLD DEAGOON" 145 

while acting for me, but I was dumb- 
founded next morning when I marched 
off guard and reported with the new 
officer of the day. I made a formal re- 
port of the loss of a prisoner and that 
the sentinel who was responsible was in 
confinement awaiting trial. Captain 
Kerry glanced toward the new officer of 
the day and began a fierce tirade about 
slack methods of guard duty, and closed 
by saying, ** I have never lost a prisoner 
in thirty years of service, sir ! "I took it 
all in silence, for if it meant so much 
to this old veteran, whose greatest 
source of joy and pride was the accuracy 
with which he performed his routine 
duties, I was willing to accept the onus 
involved in the escape of a prisoner, par- 
ticularly one held as an act of accommo- 
dation for a frontier constable. I did 



146 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

not observe any difference in the cap- 
tain's manner towards me afterwards, 
but I could see that lie was not dis- 
pleased with the way in which I had al- 
lowed the blot to be kept from his duty 
escutcheon. 

As luck would have it, when the track 
was laid up to the edge of the new town 
site, and the event was to be celebrated 
by a night carnival and a flag-raising the 
following day when the rails should 
reach the station, I was again officer of 
the day. I was sitting in my quarters 
during the afternoon when Captain 
Kerry called to say that he thought I 
might enjoy going to the carnival and he 
would " take my saber " during my ab- 
sence, and also that he would like for me 
to accompany him next day to the flag- 
raising. I went to the carnival, of course, 



AN OLD DEAGOON" 147 

and never gave any sign that I con- 
nected the offer in any way with my 
silence about the escaped prisoner. 
While in the town I was informed that 
the captain was to be called on for a 
few remarks on the occasion of raising 
the flag and I have always been glad 
I did not warn him about it. I learned 
when I returned to the post that not only 
had no prisoners escaped but that I had 
one more than when I left, a belated 
recruit who had encountered the cap- 
tain himself. 

Next day the troops were paraded, 
marched through the town and formed 
in line, to witness the driving of the 
silver spike to mark the end of the divi- 
sion and the temporary end of the great 
overland road which had come to dis- 
sipate the romance of the old Santa Fe 
trail. 



148 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

The second captain took command of 
the squadron and Captain Kerry was 
escorted to a front seat on the platform, 
my seat being immediately behind his. 
The master of ceremonies handed to 
each of us a program of the exercises. I 
saw Captain Kerry stiffen up as he read 
it and I am sure he would have escaped, 
but the seats had been rapidly filled and 
he was hemmed in. I glanced at the 
order of ceremonies and saw: 

Music by the Prairie State Band. 

Driving of the Silver Spike. 

Oration. By the silver-tongued son of 

Colorado. 

Address, The Flag, By Captain James 

Kerry, U. S. A. 

Music by the Prairie State Band. 

Slowly the massive shoulders turned, 
the old Dragoon looked searchingly in 



AN OLD DEAGOON" 149 

my eyes and asked, *' Who is responsible 
for this? '' 

I could only say I would try to find 
out. I edged my way out and got hold 
of the members of the committee, and 
told them they would have to make their 
peace with Kerry. I never knew what 
was said to him, but the old Dragoon 
finally agreed to stand up, as the flag 
should break from the halyard, and say 
a few patriotic words. 

There was music by the " raw-hide " 
band which, for the day, represented 
the Prairie State. During the last 
strains of the music the spike was driven 
home. Then came the brook-like flow 
of flowery language from a young, but 
dissipated scamp of a lawyer who was 
following the westward-ho of the iron 
track. Then came the Star-Spangled 



150 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

Banner, and the flag was given to the 
breeze. 

As soon as quiet was restored the mas- 
ter of ceremonies introduced *^ That dis- 
tinguished veteran who has devoted his 
life to aiding and protecting those en- 
gaged in upbuilding the great Empire 
of the West.'' 

Slowly Captain Kerry, first, last, and 
always, one of the old Dragoons, rose to 
his six feet two and said in his finest 
brogue: ^* I never made a speech in me 
life, but I love that ould flag. I have 
fought for it from Albuquerque to Ap- 
pomattox, and I heartily agree with 
General Dix, that if any man iver hauls 
it down, shoot him on the spot ! " Amidst 
loud applause he was about to take his 
seat when suddenly straightening up 
again, he raised his hand for silence and 



AN OLD DRAGOON" 



151 



added, '''' Except tvhen lotvered by the 
corporal and file of the guard at re- 
treat,'' 




THE RECRUIT'S REVENGE 




OADED 

beyond 
his pow- 
ers of en- 
durance 

the recruit at last retaliated on his tor- 
mentor and not a bit of sympathy did 
the corporal get from any of his com- 
rades. It was all accomplished too with 
such an appearance of innocence that 
the captain never suspected anything 
wrong and credited the affair entirely to 
the mistake of a stupid recruit. 

Surrey had joined as a solitary re- 
cruit several months before, and as he 



164 OLD AKMY SKETCHES 

was alone he was put in a squad of re- 
cruits who were well advanced in their 
drill. This placed Surrey at a great dis- 
advantage and Corporal Braxton Burr 
made it much worse by constantly be- 
rating him for his apparent stupidity. 

Now Surrey had spent his youth on a 
small farm which could not furnish a 
satisfactory support for all those de- 
pendent upon it and consequently there 
was always more or less bickering and 
growling at hard luck. Surrey was ac- 
customed to being blamed for many 
things for which he was in no wise re- 
sponsible and had long since learned the 
wisdom of silence. 

Many of the older troopers sympa- 
thized with him, yet a few, without ma- 
licious intent, began a practice of say- 
ing, whenever anything went wrong in 



THE RECEUIT'S REVENGE 155 

the troop, '' See Surrey about it! " The 
lad showed no resentment until one of 
his fellow recruits attempted to be 
facetious at his expense, when he 
promptly knocked him dov/n. 

About this time one of the troop lieu- 
tenants returned from a leave which he 
had spent in Europe and soon inspired 
the captain with some of his enthusiasm 
concerning the methods in vogue at the 
celebrated French Cavalry School at 
Saumur. The horses and men steadily 
improved under the new methods, and 
the fact that other troops began to copy 
after them made the troopers anxious to 
hold the lead which they had already 
gained. 

The recruits were taken daily to the 
drill ground or riding hall to attend 
hurdles or bars and observe the instruc- 



156 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

tion of the older troopers. Corporal 
Burr was participating in the new drills 
with the troop and was usually tired 
when he got around to his squad of re- 
cruits, so that Surrey settled down to a 
stolid conviction that he was back on the 
old farm again and that impatience and 
fault-finding were to be taken as mat- 
ters of course. It was an evil day, how- 
ever, when Corporal Burr lost his tem- 
per and called the silent lad a '^ farmer 
clod." The first sergeant, a veteran of 
nearly thirty years service, happened to 
pass on the way to attend Orderly Call, 
and he promptly rebuked the corporal 
in no unmeasured terms. The poisoned 
arrow had been shot, however, and while 
Surrey showed no signs of violence, the 
spirit of his mountaineer ancestors had 
been awakened and a desire to humble 



THE EECEUirS EEVENGE 157 

his conceited persecutor took possession 
of him. As time passed the coveted op- 
portunity often appeared at hand but 
Surrey waited patiently until all things 
should fit the particular vengeance he 
wished to wreak. He had been long 
suffering and there was no haste. 

It was at about this time that a varia- 
tion in the instruction of the troop was 
introduced by the lieutenant and which 
he called the ^' Saiunur melee." A num- 
ber of old saddles were stripped of stir- 
rups and a stufPed body with a head, 
representing a trooper mthout legs, was 
firmly attached to each saddle by means 
of an upright, fiexible rod with braces 
screwed to the saddle tree. 

The horses selected to bear these un- 
canny dummies soon caught the spirit of 
play and would dash over the hurdles 



158 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

and dodge about the hall in a most dis- 
concerting way when pursued by 
mounted troopers. 

The purpose of this practice was to 
accustom troopers to the actual use of 
the saber in the melee resulting after a 
charge, and it was soon apparent that 
the riding school did not fulfill these 
service conditions. A dusty piece of 
drill ground was selected and the 
hurdles and other obstacles scattered 
over it. Here, day after day, the prac- 
tice went on and no one observed each 
and every detail more intently than 
Surrey of the Eookie Squad. 

Occasionally a horse would go down 
in the mix-up, but no one was seriously 
hurt. The grounds became gradually 
cut up and in the rush after the loose 
horses the clouds of dust added a spice 



THE RECEUIT'S REVENGE 159 

of danger, but the men enjoyed it and 
their horsemanship steadily improved. 

The recruits were now being taken 
out mounted, after a course of instruc- 
tion in the riding hall, and each day 
they were brought near to observe the 
troopers pursue the loose horses, point- 
ing and cutting at the dummies with 
their sabers. 

The captain now ordered that the re- 
cruits be equipped with single sticks for 
practice on the dummies and, in trying 
a few blows on the wooden horse in the 
troop gymnasium, Surrey broke his 
stick soon after receiving it. Corporal 
Burr was not particularly gentle in the 
manner in which he informed Surrey 
that if he did not get another single 
stick before morning drill he would be 
sent to the guard house for destroying 
government property. 



160 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

Surrey did not seem annoyed nor in 
haste to go in search of another single 
stick, but when the squad went to saddle 
for drill next morning he appeared with 
a stick partially concealed, of govern- 
ment pattern apparently, but larger and 
heavier. 

The troop had a short, sharp drill 
across country that morning while the 
recruits were leading out the extra 
horses and adjusting the dummies. The 
air was a bit cooler than usual and the 
horses were fresh and lively. Arrived 
at the hurdles which marked the melee 
ground the captain brought the troop 
up to observe the work of the recruits 
and explained that in the pursuit each 
one must stick to his ** dummy " and 
punch and slash him with the single 
stick as often as he could be reached. 



THE EECRUIT'S REVENGE 161 

Surrey had not yet accomplished the 
military seat to perfection, but he could 
stick on an unbroken colt as well as the 
oldest trooper and was afraid of noth- 
ing. He was ready when the horses were 
cast loose and had heard the captain 
tell Corporal Burr to follow his squad. 

At the signal to begin Surrey gave 
the horse in front of him a sharp blow 
on the croup and he shot out in front 
and over the hurdle, the others follow- 
ing in a cloud of dust. As soon as Sur- 
rey had cleared the first jump he pulled 
out sharply on the side furthest from 
the troop and let the others pass. So 
quickly did he fall in behind the rushing 
squad that in the whirl of dust no one 
observed the maneuver. 

In a moment there was a perfect vol- 
ley of blows on the head and back of the 



162 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

last one over the hurdle, and this hap- 
pened to be Corporal Burr. No matter 
how he turned and twisted there was a 
horse just to his left rear and a stick 
coming down at every instant on his 
head and body, varied only by an occa- 
sional punch in the ribs. The recruits 
were yelling and Burr's shouts were all 
unheeded. In his efforts to escape the 
corporal collided with two of the re- 
cruits and unhorsed them, making more 
confusion, but nothing interfered with 
his assailant. 

At last the corporal got his bearings 
in the clouds of dust, dashed out to a 
flank and turned towards the troop, but 
his pursuer was still thumping him at 
every stride. Leaning well over on his 
horse's neck he dashed at full speed to 
the troop, hatless and with bleeding head, 



THE EECRUIT'S EEVEISTGE 163 

shouting, " Take him off, take him off, 
he's crazy." His Rookie Nemesis pur- 
sued him until he had found safety in 
the ranks, and then pulling up his horse 
and regarding with an air of well- 
feigned surprise, the dusty and bleeding 
figure he had been chasing, Surrey spoke 
for the first time, loud enough for all the 
troop to hear, and all that he said was, 
'' Gosh! I thought you was a dummy! " 
The whilom natty drill-master, Cor- 
poral Burr, was completely humiliated, 
and although he grimly contemplated 
some deep revenge, it was all knocked 
out of him when the troop was dis- 
missed, for the men all began slapping 
each other on the back and shouting 
^^ Gosh! I thought you was a diunmy! " 
This went on in the quarters, at the 
mess, at stables, in fact it was dinged in 



164 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

the corporal's ears by day and it came in 
his restless dreams at night, until, in de- 
spair, he applied for a transfer to a 
troop of the regiment on patrol duty in 
Yellowstone Park. 

And through all this Surrey was 
going about his business with an inno- 
cent look, but the old first sergeant 
thought he detected an alertness that 
might turn to dangerous resentment on 
further provocation by the corporal, 
and so he detailed the lad at the troop 
garden until such time as the corporal 
could make his arrangements to leave 
for his new station. 




COURAGE 




ANY stories of the 
chase had followed 
one another so rap- 
idly in the smoking 
room of the officers' 
mess, that several 
distinguished civilians, who had come 
from the East on the invitation of the 
colonel for a buffalo hunt, had begun to 
imagine themselves in a hunter's camp 
rather than an army post ; but this was 
in the halcyon days when saddles of 
venison, antelope steaks and buffalo 
tongues were more common than beef at 
all the frontier messes. 

A jaunty looking young lieutenant 



166 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

was seated on a high brass fender, sent 
over from England by a guardsman who 
had been entertained by the regiment 
during the previous autimin with some 
rare sport after elk in the Black Hills. 
During a lull in the conversation the 
young subaltern remarked that he had 
just been reading a book devoted to the 
question of the courage of various na- 
tions, and had found in it some remark- 
able statements not at all in accordance 
with the usual impression regarding the 
subject. 

" And, sir, of course you found old 
Ireland furnished the bravest of the 
brave in every war," said Captain 
Kerry. 

'^ Well, captain, they do appear to 
have fought on both sides of nearly 
every question in dispute for a couple of 



COURAGE 167 

hundred years, but the author does not 
credit them with being the only fellows 
with courage, although he rates them 
very high," replied the youngster as he 
struck his pipe against the fender. 

There was a general exchange of 
views on the subject and many instances 
were related of rare courage, by flood 
and field. 

In the midst of the discussion the 
colonel of the regiment entered the 
room. All the officers arose and greeted 
the distinguished officer, who was ad- 
mired not only for his genial and 
kindly disposition but for his own high 
courage proven upon many hard fought 
fields of the great Civil War. 

^' Well, general (he was a brevet ma- 
jor-general for distinguished bravery 
on the field of battle), to what nation do 



168 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

you award the palm for courage?" 
asked Captain Kerry with a counten- 
ance aglow with assurance that the ver- 
dict would be awarded to the sons of 
Erin. 

" Well, gentlemen," replied the gen- 
eral, ''' all men have courage under cer- 
tain conditions, but the bravest man I 
ever knew was a Jew, and I can never 
think of him without a lump in my 
throat." 

If a caisson had exploded in the room 
it could not have created more astonish- 
ment than the general's remark, and he 
was asked on all sides for the evidence 
on which he based such an unusual 
opinion, and as a response he told this 
story : 

^' Well, gentlemen, most of you know 
that I am of Southern birth, and of all 



COUEAGE 169 

my kindred I alone remained under the 
old flag when my State seceded. Two of 
my brothers fought through the war un- 
der the stars and bars, and one was mor- 
tally wounded at Missionary Ridge and 
passed away holding my hand in one of 
our field hospitals the night following 
the battle in which we had fought in op- 
posing armies. The other brother went 
unscathed through the four years of 
campaigning, and I did not see him un- 
til several years after the close of the 
war. He had gone back to his planta- 
tion, but in common with all our people 
had found things going from bad to 
worse, and without capital and without 
labor he soon faced the most dire pov- 
erty of all — that of refined men and 
women, accustomed to luxury and sud- 
denly deprived of homes and fortunes. 



170 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

" While my brother was engaged in a 
futile struggle to accumulate enough by 
his law practice to supply food to his 
family and pay interest on his debts the 
inevitable plantation mortgage and 
foreclosure followed. There were few 
banks in the State and these were gener- 
ally in the hands of new-comers, so that 
it was no longer possible to borrow 
money without collateral, a new method 
of business to that generation of old- 
fashioned Southern gentlemen. 

'' It was a sad day when the old home 
went under the hammer. Not one of all 
the kinsmen who had so long been the 
gentry of the county could muster 
enough money to save even the manor. 
My broken-hearted brother remained in 
his little den of an office with closed 
doors during the morning set for the ac- 



COURAGE 171 

cursed * Going, going, gone ' of the na- 
sal-voiced auctioneer, grown callous 
through the oft-repeated execution of 
foreclosure sales. 

^* As the sun reached the meridian, 
his old neighbor and friend, who had ac- 
companied him as staff surgeon all 
through the war, gently opened the door 
and dropped weakly into a chair. ' It is 
all over, general,' he began in a tremu- 
lous voice, * and what is worse the old 
place was bought by a Jew, and it is the 
first time one of them was ever known 
to buy a plantation in this state. ' 

** The two old friends sat brooding in 
silence until the sun was far down in the 
west, when my brother pulled himself 
together with a mighty effort and made 
ready to go and break the news gently 
to his wife, who during the four long 



172 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

years of his army service had managed 
with a few faithful negroes of the old 
school to keep the plantation going. 

^' The following day my brother was 
like one dazed. He went to his office and 
tried to force himself to accept the sit- 
uation which had overwhelmed so many 
of the gallant sons of a lost cause. 

*^ On the second day while he and his 
friend the doctor were still worrying 
over the crushing blow and planning to 
save the family from actual hunger, 
there came a knock, and, as my brother 
courteously opened the door, to the doc- 
tor's horror the Jew entered. He walked 
with some difficulty and leaned heavily 
upon his cane. He seated himself in the 
chair offered by my brother, and this is 
his story as repeated to me by the doc- 
tor: 



COUEAGE 173 

'' ' General, when the war broke out, 
I was in business in the little town over 
on the river and joined the first regi- 
ment raised in the state for the Con- 
federate Army. Life was not always 
easy for a lone Jew in such company but 
I got along somehow. At Shiloh, when 
the regiment was pressing forward 
across a clearing in the woods, I was 
struck by a piece of a shell which shat- 
tered the bone of my leg. It was hastily 
bandaged and I was taken back from 
the line of battle and laid beside the 
country road by comrades who filled my 
canteen and hurried back to the regi- 
ment. When the army began falling 
back, I asked many times to be taken 
along, but not a soul of all the thousands 
who passed me lifted a hand and many 
thoughtless boys laughed at the Jew. 



174 OLD AEMY SKETCHES 

They did not know my agony and I have 
long since forgiven them. 

" 'Just before dark you rode along 
with your brigade headquarters, and 
seeing me, you halted and had me lifted 
into a wagon. That night when you 
made camp you helped to put me on 
your own cot, and later had me carried 
to a place where the doctor could oper- 
ate on my leg. The doctor took it off, 
and in some way I pulled through. I 
managed to reach home and later 
escaped from the country on a blockade 
runner and eventually got to Europe, 
where I secured an artificial leg. Your 
kindness was always in my mind, gen- 
eral, and I determined to come back and 
join you and see the war through under 
your command. After reaching Charles- 
ton I could not get in touch with your 



COURAGE 175 

brigade at once, and my services being 
acceptable I joined some troops hastily 
assembled to repel a cavalry raid from 
East Tennessee and was wounded again. 
Upon my recovery I again joined the 
army in the field, and not being able to 
march was assigned to duty with the 
supply trains and served with them un- 
til the end of the war. 

^^ * I came back home and with the 
financial aid of some of my family I got 
started in business again. My Confed- 
erate army service helped me in the 
community, and I gradually got most of 
the business in our small town. I have 
prospered, general, and when I heard 
your plantation was to be sold for debt 
I came over to buy it. I have made the 
transfer of the property back to you, 
and the lawyers tell me the deed is all 
right. Do me the honor, general, to ac- 



1^6 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

cept it, and if you or your family ever 
again need financial assistance send to 
the Jew whom you tenderly lifted to 
your own cot when he was sorely 
wounded and scorned by more thought- 
less comrades.' 

a There, gentlemen," continued the 
general, '^ is the simple story of a man 
without a country who, having had a 
fiery baptism in war and neglected by 
those who should have cared for him 
when wounded, nevertheless, returned 
from foreign shores, risking capture at 
the hands of innumerable guard ships 
of the blockading fieet and resumed the 
fight ; and who in the end has given us 
examples of broad human charity in his 
forgiveness of those who neglected him 
and of rare gratitude in his memory 
and recognition of tenderness to a 
wounded comrade. ' ' 




INDIAN WARRIOR. — h'nuim/toii. 



A CAVALRYMAN'S RIDE 




ROUP ED about a 
camp fire in 
Texas, the officers 
of tlie first squad- 
ron of the old 
Sixth Cavalry 
smoked their 
pipes in silent enjoyment, for they had 
just passed through the terrors and dis- 
comforts of a three days' " Norther." 
This was in December, 1870, near Fort 
Richardson, when Texas was in the des- 
perate condition immediately following 
the close of the Civil War and the rov- 
ing Kiowa and Comanche warriors 
made the tenure of life all too uncertain 



178 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

for those whose duties or inclinations 
led them to brave the dangers of travel 
upon the prairie. 

As the force of the cold wind mod- 
erated they had partaken of their first 
meal in peace for several days, and the 
quiet following the storm was only 
broken by the munching and pawing of 
the horses on the picket line and the 
distant barking of a coyote. After a 
prolonged silence the major knocked the 
ashes from his brier root by striking the 
pipe on his boot-heel and said^ '' Well, 
gentlemen, we have not had much luck 
this time, and we have had to hug camp 
during two northers. I am afraid our 
chances for catching those Comanches 
on this scout are rather slim, but I do 
not wish to go back to the post until we 
know positively they are not in this 



A CAVALEYMAN'S RIDE 179 

region. We will march early to-mor- 
row and scout down the creek. If we 
find no Indian signs we will cross the 
divide and work up the river, so as to 
have Christmas dinner at home, but re- 
member there must be no hunting or 
firing at game until after we cross the 
river. And now I think all should turn 
in for a good night's rest.'' 

The general joy was so great at the 
thought of terminating this fruitless 
scout by Christmas that it was a long 
time before the hum of conversation 
died away in the various bundles of 
blankets scattered about the bivouac. At 
last, however, the murmur of voices 
ceased and the only sounds of life were 
the muffled footsteps of the sentinels 
pacing around the animals. Only those 
who have experienced camp life in the 



180 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

far West can imagine the deep sleep 
and utter relaxation of nature whicli 
follows the intense strain on mind and 
body during the prevalence of a bliz- 
zard or norther. 

In the hour of deadly stillness which 
usually precedes the dawn the guard 
was just starting the cook fires when 
the voice of the outer sentinel challenged 
sharp and clear, " Who comes there? " 
Instantly the guard surrounded the 
horses and the corporal ran to the out- 
post to learn the cause of so unusual an 
occurrence. The sentinel pointed out 
the dim figure of a horseman, and cock- 
ing their carbines they advanced a few 
paces and repeated the challenge. 
^' Hello, sojer! Me Tonkaway scout; 
got paper for chief." The corporal 
slipped quietly forward with his car- 



A CAVALRYMAN^S RIDE 181 

bine ready, and finding the Indian 
alone, conducted him within the lines to 
the fire, when he recognized him as one 
of the scouts left behind at the post. He 
had come out on the trail with dis- 
patches and a packet of letters, for 
whenever a courier starts from a fron- 
tier post to troops in the field word is 
quickly sent to those families which 
have absent ones with the command. 

The major, ever on the alert, was pull- 
ing on his riding boots w^hen the cor- 
poral conducted the scout to him. Ris- 
ing, he took the package to the guard- 
fire, which was heaped with dry brush 
and burned brightly, carefully read the 
orders brought and glancing at his watch 
found there was still an hour of dark- 
ness before reveille. But the arrival of 
the courier had been noticed, and as 



182 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

word was passed from blanket to blanket, 
sleep was out of the question; officers 
and men pulled on their boots and began 
to gather around the fires. Noticing this, 
the major ordered the trumpeters to 
sound the reveille, summoned the offi- 
cers around him and thus spoke : '' Gen- 
tlemen, the second squadron struck the 
Comanches about thirty miles south of 
the post three days ago and had a severe 
fight. The Indians have scattered in all 
directions, but it is believed they will 
come together to the west. ** C " troop, 
with both officers disabled, was left with 
the supply train, the wounded and all 
whose horses were unfit for rapid 
marching. I am ordered to send an offi- 
cer back at once, as every available offi- 
cer has joined in the pursuit. I have 
selected Lieutenant Milan for this duty 



A CAVALRYMAN'S RIDE 183 

because he has the best horse in the 
squadron. Milan, you will start as soon 
as the escort can be served with coffee. 
I will send ten men with you over the 
divide to the middle ford and the escort 
will scout back along the divide and re- 
join the squadron to-morrow on the 
march down the creek. Keep a good 
lookout, Milan, for the Indians have 
scattered and some may have swung 
aroimd on this side of the river. Once 
across you are all right, and your horse 
will carry you to the post some time to- 
night. We cannot be more than fifty or 
sixty miles away." 

Milan hastily prepared for his jour- 
ney by taking everything from his 
saddle pockets he could dispense with, 
for his experience had taught him how 
every pound tells on the horse in a long 



184 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

ride. His horse had recently been shod 
but he caused the blacksmith to tighten 
the clenches. Coffee and bacon having 
been served Milan and his escort 
mounted and started up the foot-hills 
leading to the big divide, from the top 
of which the timber line of the river was 
visible and the middle ford at the big 
bend could be located. It was sunrise 
when the squadron mounted, and as 
they moved out on the march the single 
file of horsemen composing the escort 
could be seen starting up the long bare 
slope beyond the foot-hills. Milan rode 
at the head of his little squad, walk- 
ing the horses over the rough places 
and jogging along whenever the ground 
permitted. Coming upon a long stretch 
of good country he halted long enough 
to tighten the cinchas and let the horses 



A CAVALEYMAN'S EIDE 185 

recover from the climb up the foot-hills. 
But time was valuable, and soon re- 
mounting he swung his horse into the 
cavalry trot, which gets over so much 
ground without using up the horses as 
the gallop or canter does. There was no 
talking for all eyes were on the lookout 
for Indian signs. 

As the sun indicated the hour of noon 
the little squad was just rising the top of 
the main divide, and had travelled a 
good twenty-five miles. Gazing far down 
at the river Milan saw he was not more 
than half way to the ford, with full 
fifteen miles to ride after crossing be- 
fore he could reach the fort. Putting a 
sentinel on a neighboring knoll the 
horses were unsaddled and lariated to 
graze and rest after the exertions of 
climbing all the forenoon. An hour soon 



186 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

passed, and as Milan closed the field- 
glass, with which he had been scanning 
the country, he said, ** Well, sergeant, 
there is not a sign of life between lis and 
the river. I am afraid the major was 
deceived about the distance you would 
have to cover to rejoin him. I will dis- 
miss the escort and you can rest your 
horses awhile and then move along the 
divide and camp to-night on one of the 
small branches running down to the 
creek. You can rejoin the squadron 
to-morrow by striking down to the 
creek early and cutting the trail, for the 
foot-hills are too rough to make good 
time. Tell the major I am all right.'' 

Milan remounted and started doAvn 
the long slope, realizing that he must 
lose no time if he hoped to pass the 
dangerous ford before dark. He took 



A CAVALEYMAN'S EIDE 187 

advantage of every bit of ground to 
make rapid progress without taking too 
much out of his horse. As he reached a 
long, rolling plateau, which stretched 
away to the foot-hills near the river, he 
glanced back and caught a parting 
glimpse of his escort in single file, sil- 
houetted against the sky-line, on the 
very top of the divide. The river still 
seemed far away, and in his anxiety to 
make progress he mechanically touched 
his spurs to his horse and the willing 
animal broke into a canter. Milan soon 
stopped this, however, for his experi- 
ence taught him not to wind his horse on 
a long ride. He pulled up and settled 
the horse down to a steady trot, letting 
him walk occasionally when his breath- 
ing became rapid. Thus he passed over 
the long stretch of upland prairie and 



188 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

was about to start down the broken 
ridges leading to the timber, now only 
a mile away, when his horse pricked up 
his ears and whinnied. Glancing up 
quickly he saw an animal dash down 
from the edge of the table-land into a 
gulch half a mile away. It appeared to 
be a horse under control, yet no rider 
was visible during the brief glimpse he 
got of the animal. He took out his 
field-glass and scanned the country far 
and wide for smoke or other sign of life. 
He was much puzzled because the ani- 
mal did not reappear, crossing some of 
the little ' ' hog-backs ' ' running toward 
the river. 

Milan was not the man to turn back 
unless something more real barred his 
path than a loose horse or a single horse- 
man. He was not alarmed, but vigilant. 



A CAVALEYMAN'S EIDE 189 

Unbuckling his pistol holsters he 
started down one of the numerous game 
trails leading to the river, being careful 
to keep concealed as much as possible. 
Reaching the mouth of the gulch he had 
been following down he slipped off his 
horse and crawled up the side of the 
bank and carefully examined the bottom 
and timber in the direction of the bend 
where he knew the ford must be located. 
Satisfied that he had been needlessly 
losing time he arose, adjusted his 
saddle, tightened the cincha and 
mounted. He now moved out into the 
bottom and struck out in a trot for the 
bend some distance above. 

Suddenly his horse again pricked up 
his ears and he was just pulling him in 
when a rifle was fired from the timber 
in rear and the bullet whistled close by 



190 OLD AKMY SKETCHES 

his face. Before he had time to collect 
his thoughts about a dozen mounted Co- 
manches dashed out of the timber and 
gulches in front and started for him at 
full speed. Whirling about, he rushed 
down the bottom past his rear assailant 
before he could reload and fairly flew 
along for a short distance, although he 
knew his brave but tired horse could not 
keep up so furious a pace. Speaking to 
his horse he reined him in a trifle, know- 
ing he could easily beat the Indian 
ponies in a spurt, but that his tired horse 
was in no condition for a long run. 

Every stride was carrying him 
further away from his route and the 
possibility of succor. He had only his 
pistols, but on the other hand he felt 
encouraged that only one shot had been 
fired. The Indians were apparently de- 



A CAVALRYMAN'S EIDE 191 

pending upon bows and arrows, either 
from lack of guns or being short of am- 
munition since their recent fight. It was 
evident that they wanted to capture him 
alive to avenge the losses they had re- 
cently sustained. 

This mid race for life was beginning 
to tell on Milan 's horse and the Indians 
were evidently aware of his condition, 
for now they were shouting and yelling 
to one another, whereas they had ridden 
in silence after their first wild outburst. 
He could hear the incessant cracking of 
their rawhide quirts as they lashed their 
ponies at every stride. Something would 
have to be done to hold them back or 
they would soon surround him. He was 
nerving himself for a hand-to-hand 
fight with the best mounted Indians, 
who were riding close behind him. 



192 OLD AKMY SKETCHES 

Glancing ahead, he saw a wide, deep 
gulch ; to turn to the right or left meant 
instant capture, for the Indians were 
scattered across the flat evidently to 
keep him from the foot-hills. He knew 
he rode the best jumper in the regi- 
ment, and if his horse had been fresh 
there would have been no thought of 
failure. As he drew rein a trifle to let 
his horse gather himself for the leap 
the Indians yelled louder than ever, for 
they felt sure of their prey now. For- 
tunately for Milan, he struck the nar- 
rowest part of the yawning gulch, and 
as his plucky horse rose high in the 
air he felt sure he could never have 
cleared so difficult an obstacle at any 
other time. The gallant animal landed 
safely, but he had taken so much of his 
strength in the effort that he stumbled 



A CAVALEYMAN'S EIDE 193 

and almost fell before lie liad fairly 
regained Ms stride. 

Most of the Indians turned toward 
the foot-hills to head the gulch, but sev- 
eral immediately behind Milan drove 
their war ponies at the spot where Milan 
had crossed. Hastily drawing one of 
his revolvers he turned in his saddle and 
fired for the first time at the leading 
buck as he rushed at the gulch. The 
Indian saw the flash just in time to un- 
nerve him for the jump ; his unwilling 
pony got a bad take-off and landing with 
his fore legs and nose on the opposite 
bank, toppled over with his rider to the 
bottom of the gulch. The others pulled 
up and turned to follow their com- 
panions around the gulch. 

Milan collected his thoughts during 
this brief respite and turned squarely 



194 OLD AKMY SKETCHES 

oE to the river. Following a game trail 
througli the timber and thick brush 
bordering the stream he emerged with 
his panting, tired horse upon the brink 
of the swift, icy current. Coaxing his 
horse he moved into the stream, when 
both were plmiged suddenly under. As 
the horse rose Milan slipped out of the 
saddle and, grasping a lock of mane, he 
floated down-stream around a bend, 
looking for a favorable landing place. 
At last fortune seemed to favor him and 
he gently worked the horse's head 
toward the shore. Fearing he might 
hinder the animal's landing he slipped 
back and grasped his tail. The horse 
started up the bank, when his footing 
gave way and he fell backward, knock- 
ing Milan under and stunning him. He 
rose to the surface and found he was 



A CAVALEYMAX^S RIDE 195 

SO weighted down with his boots and pis- 
tols that he could not hope to keep long 
above water. Floating with the current, 
the brave horse following, he was car- 
ried close to shore. Seizing some over- 
hanging bushes he pulled himself up 
and crawled through the fringe of wil- 
lows and fell insensible from sheer ex- 
haustion. 

Far in the night Milan awoke to find 
his faithful horse standing beside him. 
A strange numbness pervaded his sys- 
tem and seemed to dull his senses. He 
endeavored to rise and found both feet 
frozen in his heavy cavalry boots, 
which were filled with the ice-cold water 
when he became insensible. His efforts 
to rise were all in vain and he fell back 
powerless and with a feeling that all 
would soon be over. The patient sentinel 



196 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

standing beside him put Ms warm 
muzzle against Milan's face and whin- 
nied gently. This roused again the al- 
most insensible man and he began to 
move his arms and hands to start up the 
circulation. Sitting up, he managed to 
warm himself enough to keep awake, 
and thus passed the dreary hours of 
darkness. 

Daylight appeared but no sun rose 
to take out the chill from Milan's all but 
frozen body. His faithful horse re- 
mained beside him and Milan tried 
again and again to rise and mount, but 
all to no purpose. His agony had long 
since caused him to forget his Co- 
manche pursuers, for he had thought it 
could be no greater torture to die at 
their hands than to suffer as he was 
now doing. Slowly and painfully the 



A CAVALRYMAN'S RIDE 197 

day wore away and a hideous night of 
suffering came on. Knowing he must 
not sleep, yet unable to keep awake 
alone, he spent his time muttering and 
patting his horse. Whenever he lost 
consciousness for a time he was roused 
by the animal rubbing his muzzle 
against him. 

So all through this second night and 
another day he lay in agony, without 
hope and waiting for the end to come. 
Once when his faithful companion left 
him he felt that all was lost and that 
lying on the bank of the stream he was 
dying of thirst as well as of hunger and 
cold. When all hope was gone and he 
had closed his eyes for his last long sleep 
he was again aroused by his horse, 
which had left him only to quench his 
thirst and get a few mouthf uls of grass, 
for he too was nearly famished. 



198 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

As the horse came close beside him he 
realized that it was growing dark for 
the third time since he fell in this hor- 
rible spot. He could never hope to live 
through another night. Painfully he 
rose to a sitting posture, and grasping 
firmly one of the stirrup straps he tried 
to tear his frozen boots from the ground, 
but there was no strength in his limbs. 
Clucking gently to his horse the animal 
moved slowly and literally tore him 
from the ground, and he rose to his feet 
only to find that they would not sustain 
him. Falling to his knees he moaned 
with agony, but held firmly to the stir- 
rup leather, and rousing all his energies 
he pulled himself up, inch by inch, until 
his hands grasped the saddle. Strain- 
ing every nerve he pulled himself slowly 
upon the horse, and, as if fate were still 



A CAVALRYMAN^'S RIDE 199 

against him, he could not lift his leg 
across the saddle. Slowly and carefully 
turning, he at length dropped one frozen 
foot upon each side and firmly grasped 
the saddle to sustain himself. 

As darkness began to settle again 
over the dismal landscape he guided his 
faithful horse up out of the bottom, and 
turning his head in what he believed to 
be the direction of the fort, he let the 
animal pick his way alone, for he had 
no strength to guide him ; his only hope 
was to keep in motion and trust to the 
animal's instinct. Suddenly it dawned 
upon him that the horse had pricked up 
his ears and was moving toward a fire, 
which he could see flickering some dis- 
tance ahead. It might be Indians for all 
he knew, but he must risk it boldly ; he 
had not strength to long remain in the 
saddle. 



200 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

As he approached he tried to hail the 
camp, but his voice failed him. Riding 
on, he suddenly found himself con- 
fronted by several white hunters with 
rifles cocked. Realizing he was at last 
near help, he reeled and lost conscious- 
ness as he was taken from the saddle 
by the rough, but tender-hearted, fron- 
tiersmen. They carried him into their 
dugout, and by dint of rubbing him and 
pouring hot coffee down his throat re- 
vived him sufficiently to learn something 
as to his condition. One of the hunters 
caught up a pony and was soon gallop- 
ing away through the darkness for aid 
from the fort. It was sunrise when he 
returned, guiding the ambulance and 
surgeon to the hunters' camp. 

The surgeon began work at once, care- 
fully cutting away the boots and reveal- 



A CAVALEYMAN'S EIDE 201 

ing both feet frozen so solid as to be 
beyond all hope. Recognizing the neces- 
sity for amputation, he hurriedly pre- 
pared Milan for as comfortable a jour- 
ney as possible and stowed him away in 
the bottom of the ambulance. Arrivingat 
the post hospital, efforts were renewed 
to thaw out the frozen members, but all 
in vain. One leg was amputated below 
the knee and the other at the ankle, but 
the effort to save the lower part of one 
leg was unsuccessful and next day the 
operation had to be performed again. 

Milan bore all bravely and yet he 
fully realized that in the prime of life 
his days of active duty were gone for- 
ever. His greatest anxiety seemed to 
be for the noble animal that had stood 
by him so bravely in his ride for life 
and his hours of torture on the river 
bank. 



202 OLD ARMY SKETCHES 

A few days before Christmas, when 
the squadron returned from the field, 
and his comrades marched silentlv and 
mth tear-stained eyes into the ward, he 
greeted them so cheerfully that the sad- 
ness disappeared from their faces and 
they all vowed they would have their 
Christmas dinner together anyway. 

Thus it came about that screens were 
placed around Milan's bed on the day 
before Christmas and the ward was 
filled with the bustle and hum of prepa- 
rations. Flags, guidons, crossed sabers, 
and evergreens transformed the sick 
ward into a military bower. A table 
shaped like a large horseshoe was ar- 
ranged, and when the hour for dinner 
arrived and Milan's cot was brought 
into the open heels of the shoe all the 
squadron mess and the surgeon stood at 



A CAVALRYMAN'S RIDE 203 

their places. Tears filled Milan's eyes, 
but when the major called ** Atten- 
tion!" and the large double doors 
swung open and Milan's striker, dressed 
in full uniform, entered leading the 
faithful horse, groomed until his skin 
fairly shone, Milan was overcome with 
emotion and tears flowed down his 
cheeks. The horse was led away and 
the major commanded that all care and 
thought of the past be banished, for now 
was the time of good cheer. 

And thus did brave Milan take his last 
Christmas dinner with the gallant regi- 
ment that holds in loving memory his 
heroic courage and manly endurance. 



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